Biology

The study of lifeforms and their related processes in the Land of Bob; A surprising affair.   Note that, thanks to the nature of the reality which governs The Land, only remote observations are possible, so that, despite many efforts to gain ingress or any direct influence, it remains impossibe to perform any of the necessary experimentation by which any theory might be proven. However, a substantial body of observations, of varying consistency, has been made, so that much of what can be known has been inferred.   What is known is that, while plants and fungi appear to function in the expected manner, there exists, beside these, an unparalleled branch of biology in the Land, which functions in its own peculiar and altogether bizarre fashion, following a strange, and rather unpredictable pattern. The third biological branch in The Land,Metabiology notwithstanding, is derived from a mysterious substance known as Ooze, or The Ooze.   The Ooze behaves, in its primordial state, in a manner somwhat akin to a pervasive micro-organism, which develops, or is perhaps produced, by unknown procecess in the soil. It is thought to be loosely affected by metabiology, but so is all The Land, and is proven to be attracted to sunlight, and this causes it to draw gradually upward, and pool on the surface, congealing, when sufficient concentration is accomplished, into a cohesive mass, which, when exposed to direct sunlight for prolonged periods, begins to display certain organic qualities, gathering into a peak, which follows the path of the sun as it grows, until, having reached sufficient mass, it coalesces into a globule, gradually becoming more animated, and detaching from the soil. By the time it has become more-or-less self-contained, a small, light-coloured spot begins to appear on the sunward side. This, again, in similar fashion to the governing mass, eventually coalesces into a relative mass on its surface, forming what is known as the eye, the one identifiable organ, which does, at least to all appearance, provide the power of sight, as well as a basic form of signalling communication.   It is unclear where the threshold lies, beyond which this organism, can be said to be sentient, or indeed living, but this seems to be the most basic organism in this branch, known as Slug, from which this branch of the taxonomy derives.   Further, on the matter of derivation, it may be surmised, and correctly so, that an entity formed of Ooze is quite morphologically unstable, and, in fact, the entirety of this branch derives from this basic form, mutating within the individual's lifespan, under the influence of environmental and other factors, including, in some cases, conscious effort. It can be seen, then, that inherited traits are bestowed by geological ancestry, rather than any kind of genetic or other duplicative mechanism, so that, while every effort is made to present recognisable taxonomical branches, and indeed many individuals do follow one of the general patterns presented hereafter, others defy classification, and the noteworthy among these are recorded to such a degree as is feasible.