| Vivarium | |
|---|---|
 Building in Beyond Earth | |
| Cost | 80 
|
| Maintenance | 1  Energy
|
| Requires | Ecology |
| Specialist slots | None |
| Effect | +2  Food-1 from Flood Plains+1 from Desert |
| Notes | None |
History[]
Those colonial administrators who prioritized the health and happiness of their Colonists usually had vivariums constructed shortly after landing. Beginning with cold frames, the colonists built these large greenhouses, using polyethylene film or multiwall polycarbonate sheeting included in their ship’s payload, to germinate and cultivate terrestrial seeds and seedlings. Insulated from planetary conditions and carefully nurtured, the many types of Earth fruits, vegetables, spices, herbs, grains and even flowers enriched the colonial diet – in some cases supplying vital minerals and vitamins until substitutes could be found in or created from native flora – and raised colonial morale as well by providing arbors, flower gardens and other botanical spaces for recreation. Most of these constructs were bioshelters, solar vivariums managed as self-contained indoor ecosystems, with both plant and animal life carefully balanced. With automated ventilation and passive heating systems, the horticulture bioshelters were extremely efficient and cost-effective, with much of the waste recycled into compost for use in open-air agricultural plots. Over time, molecular and genetic tinkering with these Old Earth strains by colonial agronomists adapted some for free-growth, and many were not only commercially cultivated but spread in the wild, such as quinoa, fonio, yacon, sumac, kala jeera, durian, cherimoya and kapok. Thereafter, the vivariums played a greater or lesser role in the daily life of the colonists, depending on their philosophical approach to living on an alien world.