What to Bring to a Colony World

[melannen]

Okay. You, and a bunch of your friends, are going off to colonize an alien planet.

You know that this planet has:

Gravity, heat, light, temporal cycles, elemental resources, and weather that are close enough to Earth's that most reasonably adaptable Earth species can survive and breed there.

A functioning carbohydrate-based planetary ecosystem that does basic things like keep the atmosphere oxygenated and soils fertile and dead things rotting and oceans thawed and all the other cycles rolling, and has been around long enough that much of the geology is fossilized (so there are probably coal and petroleum and carbonite deposits, etc.)

A fairly large landmass with a subtropical/Mediterranean-like climate with warm temperatures year-round, no major extreme weather, and ample seasonal rainfall, where you are planning to settle.

However, the planet's biology is not close enough to Earth's that Earth life can interact with it on any complex level. You can count on being able to use native life for things like fibers and building material and fuel and maybe latex and dyes, but anything you want to eat or use for medicine you'll have to bring with you. Along with pollinators and symbiotic fungi and any other life needed to keep that life going. And you're going to need to be self-sufficient within a year or two of arrival, with a fairly small initial population and very limited technological resources. On the plus side, local diseases, pests, and predators are mostly going to ignore anything Earth-based.

If you could have your pick of all species currently alive anywhere on Earth(and maybe a few that are recently extinct, and maybe a few that need a tiny bit of gene-tinkering first), what among Earth life would you bring with you? I am especially interested for species that aren't currently common food products in Europe/North America.

Comments

[lea_hazel]

Well, animal husbandry can be difficult and isn't super energy efficient, so I would go with about 90% plant produce. Soy is a must, naturally, but there are a lot of plant sources of partial protein which, when taken together, provide a fairly complete diet. Legumes store well so you can put down reserves, and they're highly nutritious and also filling; I'd go with peas and lentils, and especially fava beans, unless someone on the expedition carries G6PD deficiency and can't digest them.

Emmer is an old, wild and highly robust cultivar of wheat, so I'd bring that too, but it's very important to have multiple sources of carbohydrates. The UN (I think) maintains a list of under-utilized crops, many of which are staple foods that are largely obscure outside of their native culture. That's a great place to pick up on some interesting species you'd never think of otherwise.

I would also place emphasis on wind-pollinated plants, under the assumption that there's limited space/resources, and catering to the specific pollination needs of a lot of flowering plants would be a pain in the ass. Seed dispersal isn't a concern, quite the contrary, you'd want to avoid letting the Earth species run rampant. Insect-eating bats for population control might be a good idea, though. Or else small reptiles or amphibians.

Olives are good, and they age well, but it takes them decades to reach harvestable maturity. You'd need a backup source of oil, like canola or flax. In general, if you want to be self-sufficient in a year or two, your first line of crops need to be perennials that will quickly give a crop without immediately failing and having to be re-sown. In a pseudo-Mediterranean climate, tomatoes and cucumbers are a good choice, but again, variety is important.

Medically, it's hard to be well-prepared. Microorganisms will always adapt more quickly, so probably your best resource would be a team of crackshot workaholic microbiologists. Corticostereoids are a must, though, because of the sheer breadth of autoimmune conditions. I have no idea how they're produced, though.