Fartens

Fartens are a fictional genus of planktonic microorganisms used in speculative biology to illustrate buoyancy control, metabolism, and ecological interactions in aquatic systems. They do not correspond to any real taxon and are not observed in nature; they exist only in theoretical or educational contexts.

Fartens range from 0.5 to 3 millimeters in length. They have a rounded to oval body with a semi-permeable outer layer. Gas vesicles near the interior reduce density, allowing passive and active ascent and descent. Several species are described as having one or more flagella to enable slow swimming.

In the fictional world, fartens inhabit freshwater lakes, ponds, and slow-moving rivers in temperate climates, with occasional representations in brackish environments. They are typically photosynthetic, using chloroplast-like organelles, but many examples are mixotrophic, combining photosynthesis with grazing on microalgae and detritus. Their buoyancy mechanisms help them stay within the photic zone where light is available for energy capture.

Fartens reproduce mainly asexually by budding or simple division, with occasional sexual reproduction in some variants. They can form dormant cysts under unfavorable conditions, enabling survival through periods of low light or nutrient scarcity. The life cycle is relatively short, allowing rapid population responses to environmental changes.

As hypothetical constituents of aquatic food webs, fartens are imagined to be primary or secondary producers, linking algae with zooplankton. In thought experiments they help explore the consequences of buoyancy alterations on nutrient cycling, gas exchange, and methane dynamics within lakes.

The name fartens derives from a playful reference to gas vesicle-based buoyancy, not from any biological root. In educational contexts, fartens are used to demonstrate how buoyancy and light availability shape plankton distributions.