This actually isn't as different from a normal forest--or jungle even moreso--than one might think. Even different species of trees can link using fungus connected to their roots (mycorrhizal networks) and share resources amongst each other. For instance, birch and fir trees will share resources the other species needs during the other's weaker seasons of production, both as a whole and individually. Yes, there is competition, but also the older trees provide resources to the younger ones, and old matriarch tree stumps can be kept alive for hundreds of years by their descendants long after they've lost their canopy. Mother trees are also very important for the regeneration of forests that have been harvested or struck by disaster. The canopy itself also forms very notable layering in the habitat. Also comparative is things like aspen trees, some of which are singular superorganisms that spread across kilometers, but appear as complete individuals. All of that is to say, while this is still different than anything found on earth and INCREDIBLY unique, it's also got a lot of similarities to some of the more surprisingly unique interactions in real life--which makes it even more impressive.

Some footnotes as always: A huge thank you to my fav sound engineer Gabe Ballotta for mastering the audio for this episode! If you think this video sounds more professional than past installments, it is thanks to them - be sure to show them some love! Next, as mentioned briefly in the video the next upload on this channel is going to feature a QnA (as well a lot of other updates), so leave any questions you may have somewhere in these comments! Last but not least I want to thank all of the people who have supported this project thus far! You all are wonderful, and I'm really excited to show you everything I have planned. While I'm not able to reply to all of your comments, I see most of them. I appreciate your feedback, and it is constantly helping me to improve my craft and grow as an artist. I see this show as a step toward fulfilling my personal and professional creative aspirations, and I’ve never felt more driven to prove myself as an artist, writer, and designer peace.

Legitimately the most detailed, well thought out, and original/innovative spec-ev project out there.

WE MAKIN IT TO THE AMOEBIC SEA WITH THIS ONE 🔊🔊🔊🔥🔥🔥🔥

if you ever decide to compile the Isla project into a book - I will buy within a heartbeat

Questions for QnA: 1. Will there be an episode describing in detail major clades of animals inhabiting Isla? That would make the fauna much more understandable, as well as this would be an opportunity to share very interesting information about Isla's natural history, obscure traits of creatures and be an insight into how a single body plan can be adapted to almost any niche. 2. Speaking of natural history, had any massive extinction events occured in that time? How many and what they brought? 3. What do you think will happen to the entire biosphere should the planet be "released" from its tidal lock? Thank you very much for these videos. Very surreal and inspiring.

Your artwork is fantastic as always. The visuals of this series are among the best in all of spec evo IMO.

Bro this project is so sick the atmosphere is so thick Its so easy to picture you carefully wandering around inside these dark canopies with all manner of little instruments and tools, taking notes and tiny samples, sneaking around with night vision goggles and counting specimens and collecting data before recording another entry into your voice memo field reports

I live for the Isla Project, absolutely love this series!

BABE WAKE UP NEW ISLA PROJECT

Lets goo, one of the best spec evo projects on this platform is back! So well thought out ecosystems and morphology! Love to see it. :)

Please don't stop making these dude watching these makes my day better

QnA submission: What does the creative process for this project tend to look like? Did you start with luca and try to move things on from there to ensure all the organisms appear related? Do you think 'Hmm, this would be cool' and keep things consistent with a list of shared traits? I've never really done a spec evo project myself so I'm very curious how yours came to be, especially since it's my favorite of the ones I've seen

QnA questions 1 : favorite spec projects of other people youve read/watched. 2 : have you seen Kandy Egg's Exobiology series here on youtube? 3 : recommendations for how to learn about biology?

For the QnA: Could you go into some detail about your artistic process? How did you learn to illustrate so well? What programs do you use (for both illustration and and animation). What’s your preferred method of finding people to collaborate with (like the amazing sound engineer of this episode)? And finally, do you have any tips for others starting out when it comes to spec evo art? Honestly I would be very interested on an episode on the “behind the scenes” of making this if that’s ever something you feel like making. Overall, the quality of this project is beyond professional and I look forward to seeing more.

I just checked in on my subscriptions list and imagine my shock when I saw this

The kings has once again returned

Hooray! Always super excited for another one of these to drop - one of the coolest and most interesting spec evo projects I feel. And this is no exception - an entire biome that grows under a singular organism is so cool.

Questions 1. What would happen if the matriarch would die? How fast would the rest of the colony collapse? 2. Will we ever get a video of the different families of fauna? 3. What’s your favorite species you’ve created so far? I love your videos and you are a huge inspiration to me as I try to create my own speculative biology project, thank you! :) ❤

Totally incredible piece, I have no words to describe it! This may be plaguing life outside of Earth with the same type of body type as Isla.

one of the best series on al of KZfaq, thank you so much for making this

Some QnA questions: 1)Does Isla experience seasonal changes? A tiny bit of excentricity can have a surprising effect on how much the star moves in the sky, especially near the terminator where a few degrees can be the difference between the star being obscured or quite a bit above the horizon. Plus theres obliquity with a similar effect but orthogonal in direction. Excentricity would be most visible at the leading/trailing poles and next to no effect at the geographic poles, the opposite for obliquity. Theres also milankovitch cycles which causes these parameters to very over time. 2)Does the stellar system have defined parameters for Isla and the rest of the planets, or more of a vague concept with all the focus on the surface? Red dwarves are well known for resonant orbits. 3)How is the 0 degree point defined? Is it 90 degrees from the substellar point? the point where the star is on the horizon? fully obscured by the horizon. Atmospheric refraction would cause the star to be visible further apart than in a vacuum and it depends on air density

Another great episode! The sound design really was fantastic. I loved the way the ambiance changed as we moved through the forest to reflect the camera's position above and below the canopy.

So QnA question time: 1. What first inspired you to undertake this project? 2. How did you start out such a major undertaking 3. What major changes has the project undergone since its conception This is such a fascinating and immersive world you’ve managed to create. I’ve the feeling we haven’t even scratched the surface yet, so I look forward to continuing this journey to explore Islas biosphere 😁 P.s. I’ll throw in a cheeky bonus question if you don’t mind, I’m a palaeontologist irl and I’m curious of if you’ve thought of any extinct species for the project? Organisms that no longer exist on Isla except as fossils, admittedly I’d also be interested to know what these sort of fossils look like? Heck I’m curious if there are any living fossil present on Isla kinda like the Coelacanths of Earth.

Wonderful combination of imagination and real-world science. Thank you for your hard work!

I'm so happy this is still going. And I absolutely love every new video. Thank you sir.

Holy crap I Love Speculative Evolution! Especially when it's done this well! This is honestly amazing! I love those parts that look a lot like Bacteriophages & the thumbnail looks like a Bobbit worms mouth. This entire project and the art, sound, narration & science behind all of it is AMAZING! Keep up the great work 👍🏻

You're really setting the bar high for spec evolution videos: imaginative concepts, superb artwork, and atmospheric, high class video production. Looking forward to more.

I haven't seen this series in a while, and the animation at the beginning was really good!

I absolute love your work that's the best speculative project I've ever seen

Curious Archive needs to cover your work! You are an incredible world builder and it always makes my day when you upload. Keep up the great work!

This is by far my favorite Speculative Evolution project. It is so unique innovative and interesting. Keep up the good work.

One of the best if not the best spec evo projects rn. Good work

i know this released less than a week ago- but i just ran across your channel and binged the whole set of episodes released, i genuinely cannot wait for more i love foreign lands and their creatures, then tack on the way its presented and it only grows it exponentially (least for me)

Visually and narratively captivating and detailed.

oh hell yea, following the progress you shared on insta really pays off when the product is as good as this!! and for the QnA, have you ever considered sharing any of the etymologies of the species, genera and the clades in general?

Yes my favorite speculative evolution series is back!

Not only you have a great imagination, you also have good scientific knowledge to make it cosnsistent and you provide not only great visual representation but also great narration! This is absolutely great work!!

Damm imagine being a soldier guarding a cientific research team and your spaceship crashes in a dark, strange fugous region and only you survive, with no knowledge or preparation for that environment, you must escape...

Reminds me of the super organism we have over here in Texas!

Question for QnA: First, thank you for such a fantastic video series. Love it very much. ❤ Second, if you could go back to your teenage self and tell them anything, what would you say?

Favourite alien world.

Excellent work as always---fascinating ideas. The visuals are incredible and the animations immersive. Can't wait for what's next.

THANK YOU I've been starving for stuff like this, I love it!!!

This is one my favorite worldbuilding series here on youtube. The world feels so alive. Beutiful work!

LETS GOOOOO!!! My favorite spec-evo series on KZfaq coming back with another heater. The detail of the organisms, the way they interact with each other and their environment, the depth of the biospheres. All of it is incredible.

Man this channel has the coolest design ive seen on youtube

How is a new matriarch created? How does a new colony start? Also, I am excited to learn more about the ecosystems of the Lush Plains and the Arid Flats, as well as the Terminator.

WOOHOO! More aliens!

Amazing video! The attention to detail here is why the isla project is my favorite speculative evolution series on youtube

Our prayers were heard

God I love this. You seem to have accounted for every detail. It feels real even though it is fiction. Great work!

Babe wake up there’s a new Isla project video!! ❤

Lovely! Rewatching all your vids!

This all feels so spectacularly, beautifully alien.

Amazing, criminally underrated content.

omg this project is so cool, looking forward for more

For Q&A:Are there any intelligent species on Isla? Also keep up the good work man, this is the best spec bio project I've ever seen.

I know this is a stupid question but do you think you'll ever make an animated show about this alien planet I'm just curious ? love your videos by the way huge fan of your Channel after watching the first video I got recommended immediately subscribed 👍

Best spec evo project I've ever seen

This whole project is just so well thought out, that it feels like there would actually be a planet somewhere out there just like yours. Amazing work! Also, as a question, are there multiple matriarchs per spore forest, and if so, how densely packed are they?

The concept that certain species that live in these super-organism are unique to their own spore forest is such a cool idea. Imagine exploring these spore forests, each one would have different species that you haven't seen in other spore forests. Near endless discoveries.

Cool The Fungus reminds me of the forest made of one tree called Pando!

The artwork reminds me of Hollow Knight

WE MAKING IT OUT OF THE PERMIAN BASIN SUPERORGANISM WITH THIS ONE 🗣🗣🗣🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This is so damn cool!

Kudos & Cheers for this, for making an alien world that almost perfectly feels like what an alien eco*system* would be like. As for the Q&A, assuming certain events play out, what species (either from earth for isla) would be the most likely to become an invasive for the other?

Is there any geologic history to Isla (as in, any plate movements)? And where and when did the LUCA of Isla exist?

MOM THE ISLA PROJECT UPLOADED!!!!!!!!

The Spore Forest is wonderful! Any inspiration from Ghibli's Sea of Decay?

QnA Question: With the amount of detail you've put into this project, will it become anything more in the future? Say a survival/exploration game? I think walking around Isla in a video game would be a next level experience. That or maybe a movie/series or something from the perspective of an explorer or research team of the planet.

This ismy favorite specilative biology peoject besides the magic rpg world one i lost track off

This is the first episode in which you mention flying animals. I think they deserve a more detailed scope. Are there flying animals outside the fungal forest? My guess is that animals can use the strong winds to migrate quickly while expending less energy. By flying high they can ride the currents which take them to the dark side and by flying low they ride the winds which take them back to the lit side. There could possibly be a dark side biome which animals can visit to escape predators from the lit side of the planet.

Hell yeah

Today is a good day

You’re back!

man needs to set up a print shop for this art, would defo buy a poster of the shroom forest

WE GOIN BACK TO ISLA, BOYS, STRAP IN

The permian basin superorganism has relocated

Nice vid man

WOOOOOO

Question for Qna: will there be organisms that live on the dark side of the planet? that autotrophic organisms use other means of obtaining energy such as chemosynthesis or electrosynthesis?

This forest reminds me of the Toxic Jungle in Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. A large insular and interconnected somewhat fungal environment which is aggressively protected by its fauna.

i want a Isla Project book... now

The googly eye looking geographic feature made me laugh.

YEEEEES

absolutely wonderful.

It's interesting how "stuadship" (i believe it was called) has potential to be an actual opponent for possible human obsticle as a "heart of the forest" :3 I could almost imagine the oncreadible energy storage could be worth the likes of *really, really finite* feul. Hyper oil~

For Q&A: you’ve mentioned kinetotrophs (I think), organisms that somehow use kinetic energy to get energy. I’m really curious to know how that works.

Question for the QA: I know this will sound quite Terran/Earthly centric but if you were to put Isla in a level of development (if there is such a thing) where would it be? Early to Late Paleozoic? Early to Late Mesozoic? Early to late Cenozoic? Pretty much I am asking how much has life developed in Isla since it's origin.

I have a question, about the plants and animals. How do they taste? Are they edible? What could you and couldn’t you eat on this planet?

Reminds me of the Toxic Jungle from Nausicaä Of the valley of the wind.

Creatures would evolve to spread more eavenly beyond the forest, taking advantage of adaptive traits to make up for the environmental factors

I wonder whether some specialized lifeforms that can't leave the spore forests would attach their eggs to migratory species, to spread from one forest to another Anyway, some of these creature designs are awesome. And super-organisms are such a cool concept

I must ask how long did it take to make the Isla project and how can you make a project of such intricacies by yourself.

I fucking love this channel

When will those long wind eating plants be focused on? The biochemical pathways for turning motion into energy would be very interesting. Also that cricket sound trigger my arthrophobia

Very great video. As a not much of a biology person I was wondering how does competition within one superorganism work? It feels like a waste of resources. The plants that grow above the "canopy" and attract pollinators from below, how to their spores get to the surface?

QnA: will we get to see an overview of the taxonomic tree of life sometime soon? (complete or incomplete?) - i ask this with hope for a yes bc Im beginning to get better at remembering the names of different clades & taxa but having a graphic or video to refer back to would be awesome!

Dont wanna be demanding but you made me REAL curious bout that non-phototrophic Globilus Sp. When u teased it last lol i gotta know i wanna know more about rolling ball fungus creature lol it seems sick