Nickoglobin
Overview
Nicklobin is a nickel-based oxygen-binding biomolecule found in certain deep-dwelling organisms on Nola Prime. It evolved in environments with significantly lower oxygen levels than the planet’s surface and serves as a high-affinity alternative to Coboglobin.
The pigment is rare in sentient species and never became the dominant respiratory molecule of the Noelaran, but it remains important in the biology of subterranean and swamp megafauna.
Structure
Nicklobin incorporates:
- a central **Ni²⁺** ion,
- a porphyrinoid macrocycle resembling primitive heme,
- stabilizing sulfur ligands adapted for low-oxygen environments.
Its structure binds oxygen strongly but releases it slowly, which is optimal for organisms with steady, low metabolic rates.
Biological Function
Nicklobin is favored by species that live in:
- deep alkaline swamps,
- underground caverns,
- low-oxygen wetland basins.
These creatures rely on slow, sustained oxygen delivery rather than the rapid cycling needed by surface megafauna.
Instability in Surface Conditions
Nicklobin is vulnerable to oxidation due to Nola Prime’s:
- extremely high atmospheric oxygen content (40%),
- elevated temperatures,
- high carbon dioxide levels.
Surface exposure often leads to rapid pigment breakdown, limiting the molecule’s evolutionary success outside deep biomes.