Popover Sporal

 | Property | Details | | :--- | :--- | | **Type** | Anchored | | **Category** | Sponges | | **Species** | *Sporal zymes* | | **Attitude** | Passive | | **Biome** | Root Canyon | | **Scan Tool** | Bioscanner |   ![Popover Sporal](Popover Sporal.png)   A **Popover Sporal** is a type of sponge found in the Root Canyon.   ## Appearance  -The Popover Sporal is a strange, ground-covering sponge-coral hybrid that is much larger than other sporals and sometimes has protruding parts. The red flowery anchored animals nearby are most likely not part of the Popover Sporal itself.+The Popover Sporal is a strange, ground-covering sponge-coral hybrid that is much larger than other sporals and sometimes has protruding parts. The red flowery anchored animals nearby are most likely not part of the Popover Sporal.   As of version 1.2, there are only 3 scannable Popover Sporal instances located in the trench leading to the Karakorum Metal Farms.   ## Databank Entry   **Sporal zymes**, the leavened sporal. Resembles a popover pastry.   ### 1. Leavener The popover sporal's coral denizens cultivate a strain of hyphenate algae. (Algae on this world descended from a star-like 'solarian' cell, while all animal life descended from an elongated 'polarian' cell.) Instead of feeding on sunlight, this algae ferments sugars into alcohols, producing carbon dioxide as a waste product.   ### 2. Gas trap The popover retains its carbon dioxide gas until it reaches critical pressure, when it trickles out through valves into the water column. This dissolved carbon helps grow new generations of plankton.   ### 3. Low oxygen scavenger The popover thrives in low-oxygen, high-sugar conditions such as those following an algae bloom. While organisms cannot evolve 'to benefit the environment' because evolution lacks long-term planning, the popover sporal does help slow down runaway carbon dioxide buildup in the water and the atmosphere by holding carbon internally.   ### 4. No relationship Despite frequent gene exchange in the Protean biosphere, the algae in the popover sporal evolved their fermentation method independently from other species. Optogenetic analysis detects alternative fermentation pathways which produce methane or other gases rather than carbon dioxide.   **Assessment:** ecologically useful brake on carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. Popover sporals might help protect their habitats from dangerous buildup of carbonic acid.   *Source: Scan a Popover Sporal*   ## Gallery   ![Popover Sporals in the Root Canyon](Popover Sporal Ingame.png)