Cytoplasm

Organelle Details
Cytoplasm
Base Cost (MP)	22
Requires Nucleus	No
Processes	Cytoplasm Glycolysis
Enzymes	None
Size (Hexes)	1
Osmoregulation Cost	1
Storage	1
Unique	No
Upgrades	None
Internal Name	cytoplasm

The gooey innards of a cell. The Cytoplasm is the basic mixture of ions, proteins, and other substances dissolved in water that fill the interior of the cell.

One of the functions it performs is Cytoplasm Glycolysis, the conversion of Glucose into ATP . For cells that lack organelles to have more advanced metabolisms, this is what they rely on for energy. It is also used to store molecules in the cell and to grow the cell's size.

Requirements

No requirements.

Processes

Cytoplasm Glycolysis: Glucose → ATP

The first method of energy production available in the game. Less efficient than Glycolysis in other organelles (e.g. Metabolosomes), it requires only a steady influx of Glucose and does not change speed in response to environmental factors.

Modifications

No modifications.

Effects

Any other organelle may replace Cytoplasm at no extra mutation point cost (beyond the cost of that organelle).

Upgrades

No upgrades.

Strategy

If you can keep collecting Glucose from clouds in the environment, each hex of Cytoplasm produces net positive energy (in the form of ATP ). This organelle is therefore a reliable choice for easy energy generation in most environments. Indeed, the starting cell (LUCA) is a single hex of Cytoplasm.

There are however more powerful methods of ATP generation available. As the game progresses, we recommend investing in more specialised organelles depending on environmental conditions, especially since Glucose concentrations decrease with time. For example, Metabolosomes are effective if the current patch has plenty of Oxygen , and Thermosynthase is powerful in patches with high Temperature .

Adding hexes of Cytoplasm is also one of the most efficient ways to increase a cell's size. Increased size gives you increased health and stops smaller cells engulfing you, at the expense of speed and maneuverability.

Scientific Background

Technically speaking, Cytoplasm isn't an organelle; it's the combination of all constituents of a cell other than the nucleus and membrane. In Thrive, we made Cytoplasm its own organelle to act as empty space that nonetheless contributes to a cell's shape and size. In either case, Cytoplasm can be thought of as the filling for the membrane, the background fluids through which the rest of the cell's components float.

The main component of Cytoplasm is cytosol. Cytosol contains fluids which disperse nutrients throughout the cell – roughly analogous to blood in macroscopic organisms – and the cytoskeleton, which maintains cell structure. Many metabolic processes take place in cytosol, such as those involved in osmoregulation and internal communication via chemical signals.

Read more on this organelle's Wikipedia page.