17. Appendix A: Spore theory of Reproduction - Speculations about the alien species (Movies: Alien)
Description
This article is from the Alien Movies FAQ, by Darryll Hobsonand Eelko de Vos E.W.C.deVos@TWI.TUDelft.NL with numerous contributions by others.
17. Appendix A: Spore theory of Reproduction - Speculations about the alien species (Movies: Alien)
The hypothesis in this section was formulated after extensive
discussions with Gregory S. Turenchalk and Eelko de Vos, however that
which follows is only intended to represent the ideas of the author.
An unused scene in the film "Alien" demonstrates the ability of an
imago to infect a host in a manner which converts it into an egg. The exact
nature and contents of this egg are unknown, but it is presumed to contain
a larva. The process by which this occurs may be functionally similar to
the embryo implantation process as carried out by a larva. As the larva-
implanted embryo converts a portion of the host into a nymph, so does the
imago-implanted factor convert a much larger portion of the host into an
egg, further supporting the idea of functional and morphological identity
being conserved between the juvenile and adult life stages. This factor will
hereafter be referred to as the "spore".
The development of the queen-imago as sole reproducing member of a
nest may be explained via the existence of the postulated spore. A
maturation phase has been suggested for eggs during which they are not
capable of identifying a valid host or of producing a viable
larva. This maturation phase would correspond to the period of time
after the spore is introduced to the host body during which the tissue
of the host is converted into egg tissue. In addition to her large
size, the queen is impressive in her continuous production of eggs. It
remains unclear as to whether or not these eggs are mature immediately
after they have been released from the ovipositor, however the rapid
creation of eggs in this fashion would be greatly facilitated if the
bulk of the egg matter as seen within the translucent egg creating
organs was merely specially aggregated "yolk" material which had been
implanted with a spore by the queen. The infected yolk would then be
converted into an egg by the spore, just as would an infected host.
In this case, the development of the queen-imago and her complex
egg production organs reflect the creation of a system whereby the queen
converts nutrients into a yolk or "pseudo-host", specially designed to be
implanted with a spore. The queen, in addition to being the organizational
hub of the nest, can then be seen as a special processor designed to convert
raw materials into pseudo-hosts, while the spore is seen as the remains of
the ancestral system of reproduction wherein hosts were aquired by adults
for implantation. Possibly, queens retain the ancestral ability to infect real
hosts with spores, and may rely on this capacity in the event that the egg
production organs sustain irreparable damage.
This implies that there were two periods of host-mediated adaptation
during the lifecycle of ancestral organisms. The first occurred during
the maturation phase of the egg, and the second occurred during the
gestation phase of the nymph. It further implies that the queen may
direct the adaptation of her offspring by creating special
pseudo-hosts based on the information obtained during her own
gestation phase. This may permit a faster or more efficient means of
achieving adaptation to a new environment, and may allow the queen to
control the makeup of the nest by changing the character of the
pseudo-hosts.
The proposed lifecycle stages and designations are revised as follows
Life cycle stages: Life stage designation [1] Queen implants spore in pseudo-host. SPORE *maturation phase* [Egg is released during this phase] [2] Pseudo-host is converted into mature egg. EGG *dormant phase* Host signals are detected. [3] Egg opens and mobile crawler emerges. LARVA Egg dies. Larva follows signals to host. Host's breathing orifice is secured by larva. *implantation phase* [4] Larva implants embryo in host breathing system. EMBRYO Larva dies. *gestation phase* [5] Chestbuster emerges from host. NYMPH [6] Chestbuster stage undergoes a series of instar-like INSTAR transformations until the adult is achieved. IMAGO [7] Queen-imago begins producing spores. QUEEN
The life stages encompassing the spore, egg and larva are referred to as
JUVENILE, and those encompassing the embryo, nymph, instars and
imagoes are referred to as ADULT.
Finally, it might be that prior to metamorphosis into a queen, each
imago implants a host with a spore in this manner. It is likely that the
queen becomes immobile once her egg production organs mature, and it
would be difficult for her to obtain sufficient nutrients and hosts to
establish a nest were she alone. If the imago prepared a second host in
addition to the one it had implanted with a spore, the new queen would be
assured of having at least one adult who could function in obtaining
nutrients for the generation of her eggs and hosts for larval implantation.
Disclaimer:
The characteristics discussed above are not the sole characteristics
available for discussion, nor are the conclusions drawn the only
conclusions possible. This is simply one possible picture based on the set
of assumptions and the data.
Continue to:
My Books
