Astroplankton

Astroplankton form the base of the food web of space. Most are far too small to be individually visible to the naked eye, but can sometimes be seen as patches of coloured algae drifting through space.
Astroplankton, especially the algae varieties, can be problematic to spacecraft. Since astroplankton has evolved to survive in extremely hostile conditions, they quickly grow out of control when introduced to a much more nutrient rich space like a spaceship filter. In the worst cases, the astroplankton will bloom and start to release toxins into the air.

Origin

Astroplankton has mostly been observed in orbital space, leading to theories that the astroplankton were introduced to the region in the early spacefaring era. Theres a lot of evidence in support of these theories, such as the varieties of astroplankton sharing genetic similiarities to local planetary microbiology. An emerging field within microchronology studies the distribution and genome of various kinds of astroplankton to trace common travel routes during the Early Spacefaring era.
Critics of this theory point to other examples of life in space, such as the Orbitross and the Deep Space Leviathans, both of which are believed to be reliant on astroplankton for nutrition.

---

Related Articles

Outer Space
Locations Asteroid Belt ( The Collision Course ) · Oort Cloud Species Deep Space Leviathan · Orbitross · Astroplankton Materials Astrallite Technology Crystal Technology · Super Wide Access Network · Spacecraft ( Dragonfly Carrier ) Society Traditions ( Dumplings in Space ) · Organizations ( Sentinel ) · Conditions ( Deep Space Syndrome )

Astroplankton by Annie Stein

Average Size

0.2 µm to 20mm

Conservation Status

Least Concern (LC)

Geographic Distribution

• Asteroid Belt