I feel like this chapter wasn't my best work ever, but it's important to get back to things. I hope you guys enjoyed this one.
Yeah, this looks like a mass extinction event. The algae will outcompete other marine organisms for carbon dioxide that would have been taken anyway, to a much greater degree than they add to the total carbon-removal.The completely new algae blooms that are going to form?
That. . . might not be great.
How could they possibly outcompete other marine organisms to a greater extent than they add to carbon removal? A photon captured by Panacea Algae is at least as effective as one captured by anything else. They could certainly do ecological damage by being over-competitive, but they could wipe out the natural photosynthetic ocean biome and still be ahead on decarbonization. (That'd be bad, though.)Yeah, this looks like a mass extinction event. The algae will outcompete other marine organisms for carbon dioxide that would have been taken anyway, to a much greater degree than they add to the total carbon-removal.
In a situation where for every (say) five carbon atom they fix from CO2, four of them would have been fixed by non-biotinkered organisms anyway. They're increasing total carbon fixing, but outcompeting to a five times greater extent.How could they possibly outcompete other marine organisms to a greater extent than they add to carbon removal?
Holy shit. This is why Amy should literally be the most feared being in Worm. If she wanted, she could have wiped out life on Earth a dozen times over.
Yeah, this looks like a mass extinction event. The algae will outcompete other marine organisms for carbon dioxide that would have been taken anyway, to a much greater degree than they add to the total carbon-removal.
A metabolic switch like a high and low gear, that would send the affected species into frantic metabolic and reproductive overdrive to reduce carbon levels whenever they were too high, but only maintain a modest population when it was reduced back to normal, waiting until they were needed again.
Author knowledge limitation, I'm not a proper biologist and didn't know about the issue. The modified algae do still rely on photosynthesis as a power source to do their work, so that might not be an issue.Might want to have tweaks to reduce nocturnal de-oxygenation though. I don't remember that being addressed.
I'm a semi-proper biologist by training, but I didn't either. I went looking on wikipedia for the mechanisms of algal blooms causing harm. Apparently one is that during the night, the algae don't stop all metabolic activity - and naturally they're aerobic. Combine that with being extremely numerous and they can produce low nighttime oxygen levels. (And when the bloom collapses they die off and induce a follow-on bloom of aerobic scavenger/decay organisms that continues to de-oxygenate the area, but Panacea Algae might exit a bloom state more gracefully.)Author knowledge limitation, I'm not a proper biologist and didn't know about the issue. The modified algae do still rely on photosynthesis as a power source to do their work, so that might not be an issue.
Okay, but that's very much a comparison of apples and orange-headed Tanagers.In a situation where for every (say) five carbon atom they fix from CO2, four of them would have been fixed by non-biotinkered organisms anyway. They're increasing total carbon fixing, but outcompeting to a five times greater extent.
All photosynthetic organisms use sunlight to generate sugar during the day, and then burn it with oxygen to generate ATP. During the nighttime, that happens without also generating oxygen—so if you're adding a ton of algae, that can deoxygenate the region. It's one of the big problems with even natural algae blooms, as it can asphyxiate sealife.Author knowledge limitation, I'm not a proper biologist and didn't know about the issue. The modified algae do still rely on photosynthesis as a power source to do their work, so that might not be an issue.
Ah, I see. Thank you for the detail.All photosynthetic organisms use sunlight to generate sugar during the day, and then burn it with oxygen to generate ATP. During the nighttime, that happens without also generating oxygen—so if you're adding a ton of algae, that can deoxygenate the region. It's one of the big problems with even natural algae blooms, as it can asphyxiate sealife.
Normally, Shaper might or might not have bothered, but now that Panacea is FINALLY going out and doing stuff on a global scale that has nothing to do with healing? Honestly, I expect Shaper to currently be as helpful as it's possible for Shaper to be.Ah, I see. Thank you for the detail.
We can safely assume that Shaper knows what its doing at least, and probably has stuff lower its aerobic metabolic activity at night.
Normally, Shaper might or might not have bothered, but now that Panacea is FINALLY going out and doing stuff on a global scale that has nothing to do with healing? Honestly, I expect Shaper to currently be as helpful as it's possible for Shaper to be.
Shaper absolutely wants Panacea to keep doing stuff like this. That list? That unfinished list? You can bet Shaper has already read it, and is playing with possibilities.