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Plants cover much of the
land surface of our planet.
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00:00:44,820 --> 00:00:49,196
But there is another
extraordinary green world
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00:00:49,220 --> 00:00:51,020
that is often hidden from us.
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00:01:04,740 --> 00:01:08,276
It's one where plants
have overcome huge challenges
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00:01:08,300 --> 00:01:09,900
in order to survive.
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00:01:18,300 --> 00:01:21,580
The world of fresh water.
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00:01:35,220 --> 00:01:41,076
At first sight, a lake like this
would seem to have everything
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00:01:41,100 --> 00:01:44,316
that life needs in order to thrive.
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00:01:44,340 --> 00:01:47,676
Clear, oxygen-rich water,
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00:01:47,700 --> 00:01:50,956
plenty of dissolved nutrients
and minerals
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00:01:50,980 --> 00:01:53,596
and lots of sunlight.
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00:01:53,620 --> 00:01:58,156
But, in fact, life in fresh water
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00:01:58,180 --> 00:02:00,820
presents plants with huge problems.
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00:02:04,060 --> 00:02:09,716
To succeed, plants have had to
abandon many of the adaptations
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00:02:09,740 --> 00:02:12,716
that served them so well on land
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00:02:12,740 --> 00:02:16,716
and evolve something
quite new and, doing that,
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00:02:16,740 --> 00:02:21,796
they have created some of the most
beautiful and bizarre
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00:02:21,820 --> 00:02:24,500
and important habitats on Earth.
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00:02:30,180 --> 00:02:33,836
There are few places where
it's more difficult to make
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00:02:33,860 --> 00:02:37,620
a permanent home than a freshwater
torrent like this one.
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00:02:57,820 --> 00:03:03,236
Violent currents
drip across the riverbed,
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00:03:03,260 --> 00:03:04,580
scouring it clean...
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00:03:09,620 --> 00:03:14,076
..whipping land plants
from their margins
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00:03:14,100 --> 00:03:15,380
and drowning them.
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00:03:19,260 --> 00:03:23,220
How could any plant survive
in a place like this?
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00:03:35,340 --> 00:03:38,836
Yet, even here, some do manage to,
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00:03:38,860 --> 00:03:41,620
quite literally, hold on.
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00:03:46,140 --> 00:03:50,580
They can grasp the bare rock
with remarkable strength.
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00:03:56,740 --> 00:03:59,196
This ability allows plants to thrive
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00:03:59,220 --> 00:04:02,140
in these otherwise
hostile environments.
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00:04:07,620 --> 00:04:11,980
This is the Cano Cristales
river in Colombia.
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00:04:27,700 --> 00:04:30,756
These plants are red Macarenia,
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00:04:30,780 --> 00:04:35,060
sometimes called the
Orchid of the Falls.
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00:04:44,460 --> 00:04:47,876
They cling to the riverbed,
not with their roots,
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00:04:47,900 --> 00:04:52,356
but with their stems, glued
to the rock surface by one
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00:04:52,380 --> 00:04:54,580
of the most powerful
adhesives in nature.
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00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:04,636
The rock itself will break
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00:05:04,660 --> 00:05:06,620
before these anchors
lose their grip.
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00:05:17,580 --> 00:05:22,036
These feathery filaments
are their modified leaves,
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00:05:22,060 --> 00:05:24,916
and they do what roots normally do -
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00:05:24,940 --> 00:05:27,836
gather the minerals and
nutrients they need
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00:05:27,860 --> 00:05:29,500
that are dissolved in the water.
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00:05:35,620 --> 00:05:39,676
With such spectacular colours,
it's hardly surprising
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00:05:39,700 --> 00:05:43,316
that the Cano Cristales
is sometimes called
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00:05:43,340 --> 00:05:46,580
the most beautiful river on Earth.
46
00:05:52,340 --> 00:05:56,356
But being rooted to the spot
is not always the best strategy
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00:05:56,380 --> 00:05:58,380
for living in a water world.
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00:06:01,620 --> 00:06:04,916
This is a water lettuce,
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00:06:04,940 --> 00:06:08,020
and it has some
remarkable adaptations.
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00:06:09,740 --> 00:06:13,236
Its roots hang free,
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00:06:13,260 --> 00:06:16,316
so it's not anchored to the ground,
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00:06:16,340 --> 00:06:19,756
and its leaves are thick and spongy
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00:06:19,780 --> 00:06:22,396
and covered in fine hairs.
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00:06:22,420 --> 00:06:25,660
So the plant itself
is more or less unsinkable.
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00:06:34,260 --> 00:06:38,316
This combination of characteristics
enable the water lettuce
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00:06:38,340 --> 00:06:42,636
to do something that almost
no land plant can do.
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00:06:42,660 --> 00:06:44,140
It can travel.
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00:06:47,980 --> 00:06:52,076
It is an ability that
becomes invaluable when,
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00:06:52,100 --> 00:06:56,156
during the wet season, flooded
rivers become great highways,
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00:06:56,180 --> 00:06:59,060
as they do here in South America.
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00:07:04,420 --> 00:07:08,476
This is the largest inland
water world on Earth.
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00:07:08,500 --> 00:07:09,980
The Pantanal.
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00:07:11,380 --> 00:07:15,676
For a few months every year,
it provides water plants
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00:07:15,700 --> 00:07:18,356
with ideal conditions,
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00:07:18,380 --> 00:07:23,180
but, all too soon,
it becomes a battleground.
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00:07:31,940 --> 00:07:35,780
Plants are racing to claim
their space on the surface.
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00:07:37,740 --> 00:07:42,156
The water lettuce rapidly expands
its network of hanging roots
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00:07:42,180 --> 00:07:44,676
so that it starts
absorbing nutrients
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00:07:44,700 --> 00:07:47,180
before other competitors arrive.
70
00:08:04,220 --> 00:08:06,700
Water hyacinth appears.
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00:08:09,780 --> 00:08:14,516
Its leaves are carried
on stalks filled with air
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00:08:14,540 --> 00:08:17,580
that also make it
virtually unsinkable.
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00:08:22,820 --> 00:08:25,580
The race for space intensifies.
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00:08:28,260 --> 00:08:32,036
A new competitor arrives, Ludwigia.
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00:08:32,060 --> 00:08:35,780
It spreads by developing
a chain of tiny rafts.
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00:08:37,660 --> 00:08:40,836
And jostles for space with
the densely packed leaves
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00:08:40,860 --> 00:08:42,660
of mosaic plants.
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00:08:49,740 --> 00:08:53,820
All are racing to claim
as much sunlight as possible.
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00:09:04,060 --> 00:09:07,660
They flower quickly before
the floodwaters recede.
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00:09:19,380 --> 00:09:22,900
And these surface dwellers
also have competitors.
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00:09:25,500 --> 00:09:28,636
Including one that has been
waiting in the depths
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00:09:28,660 --> 00:09:29,980
and is now stirring.
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00:09:41,540 --> 00:09:43,580
It's a monster.
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00:10:11,620 --> 00:10:13,540
It's well armed.
85
00:10:28,860 --> 00:10:33,436
It clears space for itself
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00:10:33,460 --> 00:10:35,260
by wielding one of its buds.
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00:10:37,140 --> 00:10:38,620
Like a club.
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00:10:44,660 --> 00:10:48,380
And now it dominates the surface.
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00:11:07,580 --> 00:11:11,300
This is a leaf of the
giant water lily.
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00:11:32,300 --> 00:11:36,196
It expands by over
20 centimetres a day
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00:11:36,220 --> 00:11:37,916
and eventually measures
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00:11:37,940 --> 00:11:39,620
more than two metres across.
93
00:11:44,860 --> 00:11:50,116
Its immense leaves are supported
by a network of air-filled struts
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00:11:50,140 --> 00:11:53,620
and protected by spines
two centimetres long.
95
00:11:58,460 --> 00:12:02,636
The leaves float high in the water
and their surfaces are dotted
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00:12:02,660 --> 00:12:07,436
with tiny holes, drains, that
help them ensure that rainwater
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00:12:07,460 --> 00:12:09,900
doesn't accumulate and sink them.
98
00:12:24,020 --> 00:12:28,716
Nutrients from the fertile mud
below are carried up by tubes
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00:12:28,740 --> 00:12:32,500
in its stem to fuel
the leaf's expansion.
100
00:12:40,380 --> 00:12:43,836
Over the next few months,
the lily will produce
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00:12:43,860 --> 00:12:46,980
some 40 or so of these
gigantic leaves.
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00:12:56,900 --> 00:13:01,956
And as each one reaches the surface
and expands, more and more light
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00:13:01,980 --> 00:13:05,780
is taken from those plants
that are trying to grow beneath.
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00:13:18,700 --> 00:13:21,540
Competitors are pushed aside.
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00:13:45,180 --> 00:13:47,996
Some are crushed,
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00:13:48,020 --> 00:13:49,580
or skewered.
107
00:14:26,980 --> 00:14:31,036
Eventually, its immense
leaves press their margins
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00:14:31,060 --> 00:14:33,196
against one another,
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00:14:33,220 --> 00:14:37,020
totally cutting off the light
from the plants beneath them.
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00:14:40,140 --> 00:14:43,116
The battle is over.
111
00:14:43,140 --> 00:14:45,620
And victory is total.
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00:15:05,020 --> 00:15:08,860
The frozen water world of
Lake Akan in northern Japan.
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00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:17,460
Home to one of the strangest
and most primitive of plants.
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00:15:20,820 --> 00:15:26,620
It's an alga, like those that appear
so mysteriously in our ponds.
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00:15:30,260 --> 00:15:33,540
But this one is truly extraordinary.
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00:15:39,780 --> 00:15:44,516
Each spring, the melting ice
releases soft, velvety balls
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of interwoven threads
called Marimos.
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00:15:53,220 --> 00:15:55,196
This one is small.
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00:15:55,220 --> 00:15:56,980
No bigger than a walnut.
120
00:15:58,620 --> 00:16:00,940
But there are lots of them here.
121
00:16:06,780 --> 00:16:11,060
They attract the attention
of visiting whooper swans.
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00:16:39,460 --> 00:16:44,436
But there is one way for the
Marimo to escape from the danger,
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00:16:44,460 --> 00:16:46,620
and it depends on a change
in the weather.
124
00:16:51,460 --> 00:16:56,420
Fortunately, in the spring,
winds sweep across the lake...
125
00:16:58,420 --> 00:17:03,836
..creating currents that carry some
of the Marimos beyond the reach
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00:17:03,860 --> 00:17:05,580
of hungry swans.
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00:17:08,940 --> 00:17:11,780
It's the start
of a remarkable journey.
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00:17:29,260 --> 00:17:33,116
They are gently carried back
and forth by the currents
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00:17:33,140 --> 00:17:37,540
so that the Marimos become
more and more spherical.
130
00:17:43,900 --> 00:17:47,580
And, slowly, they travel
into deeper water.
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00:18:00,340 --> 00:18:04,820
Here, there are great numbers
of them, certainly many millions.
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00:18:06,500 --> 00:18:09,620
Some are the size of basketballs.
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00:18:16,020 --> 00:18:18,156
They're safe from swans,
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00:18:18,180 --> 00:18:20,516
and the water is still
shallow enough
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00:18:20,540 --> 00:18:23,156
for some sunlight to reach them.
136
00:18:23,180 --> 00:18:25,140
It seems a perfect home.
137
00:18:26,620 --> 00:18:29,436
And so it is...
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00:18:29,460 --> 00:18:30,500
..almost.
139
00:18:32,740 --> 00:18:37,636
The snag is that these waters
also carry a fine sediment
140
00:18:37,660 --> 00:18:40,516
that can clog the Marimo's surface,
141
00:18:40,540 --> 00:18:42,860
cutting off the all-important light.
142
00:18:46,380 --> 00:18:49,740
But the Marimos are not
entirely immobile.
143
00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:00,660
They dance.
144
00:19:09,620 --> 00:19:13,796
The winds blowing over the
lake's surface create currents
145
00:19:13,820 --> 00:19:18,420
beneath that are sufficiently
strong to move the Marimos.
146
00:19:26,020 --> 00:19:28,516
They rub against each other.
147
00:19:28,540 --> 00:19:31,956
And in just a couple of hours
of gentle movement,
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00:19:31,980 --> 00:19:34,220
they're all clean once more.
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00:19:40,700 --> 00:19:44,276
As they spin, every part
of their surface
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00:19:44,300 --> 00:19:47,020
gets enough time in the sunlight
to keep growing.
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00:20:05,740 --> 00:20:08,500
This is the heart of the Amazon.
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00:20:26,020 --> 00:20:29,756
There are water worlds here that
are so remote that, even today,
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00:20:29,780 --> 00:20:31,900
few people have ever seen them.
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00:20:35,020 --> 00:20:39,540
This barely explored tributary
is the Rio Claro.
155
00:20:41,100 --> 00:20:44,596
And here, when conditions
are just right, it's possible
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00:20:44,620 --> 00:20:47,740
to witness a rare
and remarkable spectacle.
157
00:20:58,620 --> 00:21:03,900
The river is so crystal clear
that its bed is bathed in sunlight.
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00:21:10,500 --> 00:21:15,500
A magical landscape of miniature
mountains and valleys.
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00:21:29,780 --> 00:21:34,556
It's carpeted by pipewort, fanwort
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00:21:34,580 --> 00:21:36,820
and star grasses.
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00:21:46,940 --> 00:21:49,740
As the sun climbs in the sky...
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00:21:51,780 --> 00:21:56,276
..bubbles of gas appear.
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00:21:56,300 --> 00:21:58,940
Evidence of photosynthesis.
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00:22:10,260 --> 00:22:12,636
Deep inside the plant cells,
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00:22:12,660 --> 00:22:15,236
tiny structures called chloroplasts
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00:22:15,260 --> 00:22:17,300
move towards the light.
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00:22:21,260 --> 00:22:24,916
They absorb carbon dioxide
and use the sun's power
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00:22:24,940 --> 00:22:29,540
to synthesise the sugars
that the plant needs to grow.
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00:22:33,940 --> 00:22:37,540
And as a by-product,
they release oxygen.
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00:22:40,420 --> 00:22:44,916
The gas that we and all
other animals must have
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00:22:44,940 --> 00:22:47,140
in order to breathe.
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00:23:08,660 --> 00:23:13,596
Now, in late afternoon, bubbles
of oxygen make the river water
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00:23:13,620 --> 00:23:15,740
fizz like champagne.
174
00:24:04,180 --> 00:24:07,676
The plants can become
so buoyant with gas
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00:24:07,700 --> 00:24:11,116
that they rise to the surface,
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00:24:11,140 --> 00:24:13,140
even carrying the bedrock with them.
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00:24:24,380 --> 00:24:27,036
Only in this remote water world
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00:24:27,060 --> 00:24:30,540
can this spectacular
natural wonder be seen.
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00:24:40,100 --> 00:24:42,140
Eastern Venezuela.
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00:24:45,460 --> 00:24:49,676
Here, rectangular table mountains
known as tepuis
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00:24:49,700 --> 00:24:52,140
stand above the tropical forest.
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00:24:57,060 --> 00:25:00,716
There are more than 50 such
isolated mountain plateaus here,
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00:25:00,740 --> 00:25:03,740
each home to a unique
community of plants.
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00:25:08,660 --> 00:25:12,996
Downpours are so torrential
that no soil can accumulate
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00:25:13,020 --> 00:25:15,636
on their broad, rocky summits,
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00:25:15,660 --> 00:25:18,956
and some plants living up here
have to find their nutrients
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from another source.
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00:25:28,260 --> 00:25:31,100
These are Bromeliads.
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00:25:35,580 --> 00:25:40,076
Their leaves are shaped like
a funnel and collect rainwater,
190
00:25:40,100 --> 00:25:42,140
which accumulates in the centre.
191
00:25:47,660 --> 00:25:52,580
This small pond is colonised
by all kinds of tiny animals.
192
00:26:01,220 --> 00:26:04,876
And it is their bodies,
when they die, that provide
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00:26:04,900 --> 00:26:07,500
some of the nutrients
the Bromeliads need.
194
00:26:09,700 --> 00:26:14,260
This makes a good partnership
in which both parties can thrive.
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00:26:15,500 --> 00:26:17,436
But...
196
00:26:17,460 --> 00:26:20,196
..it can be exploited
197
00:26:20,220 --> 00:26:21,740
by a plant predator.
198
00:26:52,220 --> 00:26:56,460
This probing stem belongs to a plant
called a bladderwort.
199
00:26:58,420 --> 00:27:01,340
It, too, is in need of nutrients.
200
00:27:09,940 --> 00:27:14,700
And a well-stocked Bromeliad pool
is just the place to find them.
201
00:27:18,180 --> 00:27:21,500
This one is full of aquatic animals.
202
00:27:48,540 --> 00:27:50,980
The bladderwort begins to change...
203
00:27:53,460 --> 00:27:55,740
..into a hunter.
204
00:27:57,900 --> 00:28:00,916
It develops bladders
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00:28:00,940 --> 00:28:04,916
and removes sufficient
of the water within them
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00:28:04,940 --> 00:28:07,380
to create a partial vacuum.
207
00:28:11,420 --> 00:28:15,980
Each bladder has a trap door
beside it with trigger hairs.
208
00:28:18,660 --> 00:28:21,860
Now all the bladderwort has to do...
209
00:28:24,060 --> 00:28:26,540
..is to bide its time.
210
00:28:46,180 --> 00:28:49,116
It only takes one touch
211
00:28:49,140 --> 00:28:51,540
for the trap door to snap open...
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00:28:54,300 --> 00:28:56,500
..and suck in its prey.
213
00:29:03,540 --> 00:29:06,420
It's all over in a millisecond.
214
00:29:16,580 --> 00:29:20,676
And after it has fed, a bladderwort
has enough energy
215
00:29:20,700 --> 00:29:23,436
to produce another tendril
216
00:29:23,460 --> 00:29:26,460
to search for another
Bromeliad pool.
217
00:29:41,860 --> 00:29:45,580
Swamps and bogs are also
poor in nutrients.
218
00:29:48,460 --> 00:29:52,756
So several plants that live in
such places catch insects too,
219
00:29:52,780 --> 00:29:54,460
if they can.
220
00:30:07,020 --> 00:30:12,876
The leaves of Sundews are
covered with long, red hairs,
221
00:30:12,900 --> 00:30:14,980
each tipped with a droplet.
222
00:30:34,220 --> 00:30:37,276
These glistening globules are,
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00:30:37,300 --> 00:30:39,300
in fact, glue.
224
00:30:55,900 --> 00:31:01,356
Once the Sundews detect the taste
of their victim's body,
225
00:31:01,380 --> 00:31:04,780
they flood it with
digestive enzymes.
226
00:31:14,660 --> 00:31:17,540
The little body disintegrates.
227
00:31:21,980 --> 00:31:25,500
And the Sundew gets
the nutrients it needs.
228
00:31:31,380 --> 00:31:34,996
Another plant has
an even more elaborate way
229
00:31:35,020 --> 00:31:36,140
of catching a meal.
230
00:31:43,060 --> 00:31:46,756
The Venus Flytrap has leaves
that are lined
231
00:31:46,780 --> 00:31:48,740
with interlocking teeth.
232
00:31:54,020 --> 00:31:57,756
It attracts insects by producing
a sweet perfume,
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00:31:57,780 --> 00:31:59,700
just as a flower does.
234
00:32:02,100 --> 00:32:04,980
It, too, has a hair trigger.
235
00:32:17,180 --> 00:32:19,900
And another insect is caught.
236
00:32:33,140 --> 00:32:36,660
But the technique is more complex
than it might seem.
237
00:32:40,620 --> 00:32:44,036
The Venus Flytrap has a problem.
238
00:32:44,060 --> 00:32:47,116
It needs to avoid false alarms,
239
00:32:47,140 --> 00:32:52,236
snapping shut on something
inedible, like a raindrop
240
00:32:52,260 --> 00:32:54,836
or a little bit of twig.
241
00:32:54,860 --> 00:32:58,636
That would be a waste
of both time and energy.
242
00:32:58,660 --> 00:33:01,436
So how does it avoid that?
243
00:33:01,460 --> 00:33:05,116
Well, it does it by counting.
244
00:33:05,140 --> 00:33:07,476
If I touch this one,
245
00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:09,580
sensitive hair just there...
246
00:33:12,220 --> 00:33:14,036
..no reaction.
247
00:33:14,060 --> 00:33:18,276
That could be a false alarm,
but the plant remembers that
248
00:33:18,300 --> 00:33:20,276
for 20 seconds.
249
00:33:20,300 --> 00:33:23,956
And if I touch it a second
time within that time,
250
00:33:23,980 --> 00:33:27,876
then that's much more likely
to be worth eating.
251
00:33:27,900 --> 00:33:28,940
And so...
252
00:33:31,580 --> 00:33:32,620
..it closes.
253
00:33:35,660 --> 00:33:41,236
So far, so good, but now it
needs to be absolutely certain
254
00:33:41,260 --> 00:33:44,156
that it's got something
worth eating,
255
00:33:44,180 --> 00:33:46,396
so it continues counting.
256
00:33:46,420 --> 00:33:51,716
Only after it has totted up five
separate touches to those hairs
257
00:33:51,740 --> 00:33:57,116
will it give the final squeeze
and then begin to produce the liquid
258
00:33:57,140 --> 00:34:01,076
from the surface of the leaf,
which will dissolve the body
259
00:34:01,100 --> 00:34:03,020
of its unfortunate victim.
260
00:34:06,060 --> 00:34:10,116
The Flytrap now has enough
energy to produce flowers
261
00:34:10,140 --> 00:34:13,500
and attract pollinating insects.
262
00:34:23,540 --> 00:34:29,796
Wind and insects between them
pollinate virtually all land plants,
263
00:34:29,820 --> 00:34:33,516
but neither method can be used
by plants that live
264
00:34:33,540 --> 00:34:35,716
entirely underwater.
265
00:34:35,740 --> 00:34:38,260
So some lead double lives.
266
00:34:41,660 --> 00:34:46,076
A chalk stream in southern England,
and swaying in the current
267
00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:49,460
is a plant for which these rivers
are famous.
268
00:34:50,620 --> 00:34:55,556
This is water-crowfoot,
a kind of aquatic buttercup.
269
00:34:55,580 --> 00:34:59,276
For most of the year,
it is underwater.
270
00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:02,900
And if I take this
underwater camera...
271
00:35:05,980 --> 00:35:10,076
..you can see its floppy stems
grow horizontally.
272
00:35:10,100 --> 00:35:13,500
That reduces the risk of being
swept away by the current.
273
00:35:16,740 --> 00:35:20,476
But each spring, when it's
time to flower, it produces
274
00:35:20,500 --> 00:35:22,660
something crucially different...
275
00:35:24,980 --> 00:35:29,956
..a stem that is stiff enough
to resist the current
276
00:35:29,980 --> 00:35:33,260
and lift its flowers
into the air above.
277
00:35:53,420 --> 00:35:57,100
And now, of course,
they can get help from insects.
278
00:36:13,380 --> 00:36:15,916
So every year, in part, at least,
279
00:36:15,940 --> 00:36:19,500
water-crowfoot becomes
a land plant...
280
00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:26,636
..and provides us with one of
the loveliest natural spectacles
281
00:36:26,660 --> 00:36:28,380
of the early English summer.
282
00:36:38,100 --> 00:36:42,156
Water-crowfoot is not the only
water plant to lift its flowers
283
00:36:42,180 --> 00:36:43,220
above the surface.
284
00:36:49,140 --> 00:36:51,940
Plants do so all around the world.
285
00:36:57,660 --> 00:37:00,580
From the swamps of the Pantanal...
286
00:37:05,420 --> 00:37:09,036
..to the lakes of Thailand,
287
00:37:09,060 --> 00:37:12,060
they all burst
into spectacular bloom.
288
00:37:22,500 --> 00:37:26,540
Once they've been pollinated,
they produce seeds.
289
00:37:38,620 --> 00:37:41,476
And now their flowers
have done their job,
290
00:37:41,500 --> 00:37:46,140
some return to a life under water.
291
00:37:51,700 --> 00:37:56,116
Now they must ensure
that some of their seeds
292
00:37:56,140 --> 00:37:59,740
will find suitable places
in which to germinate.
293
00:38:13,300 --> 00:38:19,820
Bullrushes every year produce
these long, brown, velvety objects.
294
00:38:21,060 --> 00:38:23,780
Look what happens
when I break one open.
295
00:38:27,300 --> 00:38:31,420
It contains almost
a quarter of a million seeds.
296
00:38:39,700 --> 00:38:43,260
Each seed is attached
to a delicate parachute.
297
00:38:49,860 --> 00:38:53,876
Even the slightest breeze
will lift it and may carry it
298
00:38:53,900 --> 00:38:56,260
for very long distances indeed.
299
00:38:58,540 --> 00:39:02,676
So even though suitable
stretches of fresh water are few
300
00:39:02,700 --> 00:39:06,556
and far between, there's
a good chance that at least one
301
00:39:06,580 --> 00:39:08,980
will end up in a place
where it can grow.
302
00:39:18,060 --> 00:39:21,700
Much bigger seeds, of course,
can't travel by air.
303
00:39:29,900 --> 00:39:32,236
A river can provide transport,
304
00:39:32,260 --> 00:39:37,036
but it's a one-way
journey downstream
305
00:39:37,060 --> 00:39:39,260
that often ends up in the sea.
306
00:39:42,660 --> 00:39:44,620
And that's not ideal.
307
00:39:47,220 --> 00:39:52,580
So how can any riverside plant
avoid this and travel upstream?
308
00:39:55,220 --> 00:39:58,236
Here, along the Bonito River
in Brazil,
309
00:39:58,260 --> 00:40:02,580
a variety of trees manage
to do exactly that.
310
00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:14,220
They embed their seeds in the middle
of soft, sweet fruit.
311
00:40:31,340 --> 00:40:35,236
Monkeys, such as these capuchins,
312
00:40:35,260 --> 00:40:38,660
make a meal of them
just as soon as they're ripe.
313
00:40:43,620 --> 00:40:47,516
But monkeys are very
wasteful feeders.
314
00:40:47,540 --> 00:40:52,156
And what's not eaten
ends up in the river
315
00:40:52,180 --> 00:40:54,580
and is washed away.
316
00:41:08,860 --> 00:41:10,740
But not all.
317
00:41:28,980 --> 00:41:33,996
In the fruiting season,
hundreds of Piraputanga fish
318
00:41:34,020 --> 00:41:35,860
gather beneath these trees.
319
00:41:44,900 --> 00:41:49,300
But the Piraputanga want more
than the monkeys' leftovers.
320
00:41:51,820 --> 00:41:56,396
The brightly coloured fruits are
clearly visible, even to the fish
321
00:41:56,420 --> 00:41:57,620
in the water below.
322
00:42:07,140 --> 00:42:09,956
And some manage to claim them
323
00:42:09,980 --> 00:42:11,980
even before a monkey does.
324
00:42:25,860 --> 00:42:28,636
This isn't a skill mastered
by just one particularly
325
00:42:28,660 --> 00:42:31,396
successful acrobatic fish.
326
00:42:31,420 --> 00:42:34,540
Many of the Piraputanga can do this.
327
00:42:40,100 --> 00:42:43,100
Nor is this a disaster for the tree.
328
00:42:49,300 --> 00:42:50,700
Far from it.
329
00:42:56,700 --> 00:42:59,996
These Piraputanga are migratory,
330
00:43:00,020 --> 00:43:03,580
heading many miles upriver to spawn.
331
00:43:11,540 --> 00:43:15,316
The trees, by enticing
the fish to eat their fruits,
332
00:43:15,340 --> 00:43:18,580
have a perfect means of transport
for their seeds.
333
00:43:20,100 --> 00:43:25,580
With luck, the seeds will be
deposited many miles upstream.
334
00:43:43,420 --> 00:43:46,796
The ability to colonise new habitats
335
00:43:46,820 --> 00:43:51,716
has allowed one group of flowering
plants to venture out of fresh water
336
00:43:51,740 --> 00:43:56,276
and into a world that
may look the same to us,
337
00:43:56,300 --> 00:43:59,500
but for a plant
is crucially different.
338
00:44:02,820 --> 00:44:05,260
The much greater, saltier world...
339
00:44:06,820 --> 00:44:08,260
..the sea.
340
00:44:11,300 --> 00:44:16,900
This is a fruit from one of the most
important plants on the Earth today.
341
00:44:17,980 --> 00:44:19,500
Seagrass.
342
00:44:27,340 --> 00:44:31,196
This particular one is floating
off the coast of Formentera
343
00:44:31,220 --> 00:44:32,780
in the Mediterranean.
344
00:44:45,020 --> 00:44:49,796
100,000 years ago,
a seagrass seed like this
345
00:44:49,820 --> 00:44:52,580
sank to the sea floor just here.
346
00:45:07,580 --> 00:45:09,420
And, eventually, it produced...
347
00:45:11,060 --> 00:45:12,500
..a great meadow.
348
00:45:16,900 --> 00:45:21,460
A meadow that is still
flourishing today.
349
00:45:24,620 --> 00:45:27,420
It did so by cloning itself.
350
00:45:30,660 --> 00:45:33,516
Now over ten miles across,
351
00:45:33,540 --> 00:45:36,156
it's not only one
of the largest living
352
00:45:36,180 --> 00:45:38,436
organisms on Earth,
353
00:45:38,460 --> 00:45:40,580
it's also one of the oldest.
354
00:45:48,420 --> 00:45:53,060
And it supports a rich community
of many kinds of animals.
355
00:45:58,340 --> 00:46:01,580
It's become a kind of
marine savannah.
356
00:46:06,900 --> 00:46:10,196
Over 1,000 species now live here.
357
00:46:10,220 --> 00:46:13,996
Some, like these elegantly
camouflaged pipe fish,
358
00:46:14,020 --> 00:46:16,580
live nowhere else but
amongst the seagrass.
359
00:46:27,060 --> 00:46:30,300
Seagrass fringes
many of the world's coasts.
360
00:46:38,100 --> 00:46:40,100
Turtles depend upon it, too.
361
00:46:45,060 --> 00:46:48,716
And so do Dugong - animals
that are sometimes called,
362
00:46:48,740 --> 00:46:51,580
very appropriately, sea cows.
363
00:47:00,100 --> 00:47:04,556
Today, seagrass plays a critical
role in maintaining the health
364
00:47:04,580 --> 00:47:06,340
of our planet.
365
00:47:08,420 --> 00:47:11,556
It creates stores of carbon
around its roots
366
00:47:11,580 --> 00:47:13,836
at an enormous rate.
367
00:47:13,860 --> 00:47:17,796
35 times faster, in fact,
than plants that live on the floor
368
00:47:17,820 --> 00:47:19,620
of a tropical rainforest.
369
00:47:23,340 --> 00:47:25,476
Here in Formentera,
370
00:47:25,500 --> 00:47:28,756
it's possible to see,
beneath the living seagrass,
371
00:47:28,780 --> 00:47:31,396
layer upon layer of trapped carbon
372
00:47:31,420 --> 00:47:35,820
that the plants have accumulated
over the past 2,000 years.
373
00:47:42,740 --> 00:47:47,476
Seagrass, however, is easily
destroyed by human disturbance.
374
00:47:47,500 --> 00:47:51,476
A third of the world's underwater
meadows have already been lost,
375
00:47:51,500 --> 00:47:53,700
and many more are in decline.
376
00:48:02,020 --> 00:48:06,836
Biologists are now striving to not
only protect the remaining meadows,
377
00:48:06,860 --> 00:48:08,660
but to restore them.
378
00:48:11,780 --> 00:48:14,500
One plant at a time.
379
00:48:21,660 --> 00:48:24,636
Seagrass could be a valuable ally
380
00:48:24,660 --> 00:48:27,060
in our fight against climate change.
381
00:48:31,060 --> 00:48:35,300
Today, water worlds everywhere
are under threat.
382
00:48:40,660 --> 00:48:44,196
Many of their inhabitants
are disappearing
383
00:48:44,220 --> 00:48:47,020
without us even being aware
of their existence.
384
00:48:55,220 --> 00:48:59,396
The plants that grow in water
are probably the least noticeable.
385
00:48:59,420 --> 00:49:01,916
They're certainly the least studied.
386
00:49:01,940 --> 00:49:05,876
But the more you know about
the problems of living in that way,
387
00:49:05,900 --> 00:49:09,060
the greater the wonder
of their success.
388
00:49:10,820 --> 00:49:14,396
Surely they deserve
more of our attention
389
00:49:14,420 --> 00:49:15,876
and, most importantly,
390
00:49:15,900 --> 00:49:17,180
our care.
391
00:49:34,020 --> 00:49:37,876
This vast wetland is the Pantanal.
392
00:49:37,900 --> 00:49:41,980
The Water World's team are heading
to a plant battlefield.
393
00:49:43,220 --> 00:49:46,420
The home of Brazil's
giant water lily.
394
00:49:49,140 --> 00:49:51,836
This is like seeing
the end of a war.
395
00:49:51,860 --> 00:49:53,716
There are leaves growing
on top of each other,
396
00:49:53,740 --> 00:49:56,116
flowers going through leaves.
397
00:49:56,140 --> 00:49:57,540
Unbelievable!
398
00:49:59,860 --> 00:50:04,316
To capture this story in all
its detail would take over a year
399
00:50:04,340 --> 00:50:08,876
and require a unique Green Planet
approach, both filming here,
400
00:50:08,900 --> 00:50:11,876
and, in a parallel mini Pantanal,
401
00:50:11,900 --> 00:50:15,220
in deepest, darkest Devon.
402
00:50:18,820 --> 00:50:22,916
This is the unique world of
specialist time lapse cameraman
403
00:50:22,940 --> 00:50:24,460
Tim Shepherd.
404
00:50:27,340 --> 00:50:32,220
Tim has the reputation of being
able to think like a plant.
405
00:50:33,220 --> 00:50:37,036
It's absolutely crucial that
you get the plant really happy.
406
00:50:37,060 --> 00:50:40,516
And to make the giant lily
feel totally at home,
407
00:50:40,540 --> 00:50:44,220
Tim must build a little piece
of Brazilian wetland.
408
00:50:46,340 --> 00:50:49,100
First, a 10,000 litre tank.
409
00:50:52,380 --> 00:50:56,956
Hundreds of bricks,
almost 1,000 kilos of soil
410
00:50:56,980 --> 00:50:59,356
and countless cups of tea later,
411
00:50:59,380 --> 00:51:01,220
the foundations are complete.
412
00:51:02,820 --> 00:51:05,316
So far, so good.
413
00:51:05,340 --> 00:51:10,436
Now time to prepare for the
new green pellet camera system.
414
00:51:10,460 --> 00:51:13,996
We're trying to assemble
the main gantry framework
415
00:51:14,020 --> 00:51:17,196
so that we can mount the
moving rig on top of it.
416
00:51:17,220 --> 00:51:19,996
So it's a bit of a fiddle
to get all the screws
417
00:51:20,020 --> 00:51:22,220
in all the right places, basically.
418
00:51:23,580 --> 00:51:27,140
After a few weeks,
the building works are complete.
419
00:51:28,460 --> 00:51:30,620
The flood can now begin.
420
00:51:37,700 --> 00:51:40,996
Tim needs to be sure
everything in the room is heated
421
00:51:41,020 --> 00:51:42,860
to tropical temperatures...
422
00:51:47,540 --> 00:51:50,540
..before the star of the scene
can move in.
423
00:51:53,180 --> 00:51:58,620
Carefully grown at the Royal Botanic
Gardens at Kew, especially for us.
424
00:52:02,900 --> 00:52:06,476
Everything depends
on this one plant.
425
00:52:06,500 --> 00:52:09,780
There will be no time
for a second attempt.
426
00:52:11,460 --> 00:52:14,076
And even more important for Tim
427
00:52:14,100 --> 00:52:17,396
to keep his guest happy and healthy.
428
00:52:17,420 --> 00:52:19,956
This big monster need a lot
of feeding.
429
00:52:19,980 --> 00:52:24,276
We found we need about
five sand bags full of compost
430
00:52:24,300 --> 00:52:28,316
every two or three weeks,
so we just sort of lower them in
431
00:52:28,340 --> 00:52:30,436
and stick them down by the roots.
432
00:52:30,460 --> 00:52:32,476
There you go.
433
00:52:32,500 --> 00:52:35,876
Whilst the Devon giant settles in,
434
00:52:35,900 --> 00:52:40,556
the Pantanal crew are continuing
to get their shots.
435
00:52:40,580 --> 00:52:43,836
Time to see some giant
water lilies underwater.
436
00:52:43,860 --> 00:52:46,740
And I hope there's no anaconda.
437
00:52:53,300 --> 00:52:55,740
Ooh! Mission accomplished!
438
00:52:59,260 --> 00:53:01,300
The pressure is now on Tim.
439
00:53:04,820 --> 00:53:09,700
After months of pampering, the
giant lily is ready for action.
440
00:53:11,820 --> 00:53:16,300
First thing to film is a leaf spike
rising up from the depths.
441
00:53:18,740 --> 00:53:21,500
Luckily, there are
no anacondas here.
442
00:53:23,780 --> 00:53:26,956
The special camera
weighs over 40 kilos.
443
00:53:26,980 --> 00:53:29,796
It's suddenly become less heavy,
which is good.
444
00:53:29,820 --> 00:53:33,836
The new rig means Tim
will be able to follow
445
00:53:33,860 --> 00:53:36,180
the emerging plant in any direction.
446
00:53:41,420 --> 00:53:43,540
Wow, fancy!
447
00:53:45,180 --> 00:53:47,356
The technology is working well,
448
00:53:47,380 --> 00:53:51,276
but nature is starting
to derail Tim's plans.
449
00:53:51,300 --> 00:53:53,420
We're tangled up in all these weeds.
450
00:53:55,260 --> 00:53:59,356
What happens is we've got a bit
of an ecosystem developing here
451
00:53:59,380 --> 00:54:03,676
and, before you know it,
you get masses and masses of algae
452
00:54:03,700 --> 00:54:06,036
growing in amongst it all.
453
00:54:06,060 --> 00:54:08,556
Cor!
454
00:54:08,580 --> 00:54:12,676
Think I've just released
some anaerobic gases there.
455
00:54:12,700 --> 00:54:15,540
No, not me, the algae!
456
00:54:16,860 --> 00:54:20,900
State of the art tools
help keep the algae at bay.
457
00:54:24,700 --> 00:54:25,740
Eurgh!
458
00:54:32,100 --> 00:54:35,540
Just in time for Tim
to film lift-off.
459
00:54:47,900 --> 00:54:50,756
That's quite nice coming out
of the water, look at that!
460
00:54:50,780 --> 00:54:54,316
Tim's focus can now shift to the
battle that's starting to take place
461
00:54:54,340 --> 00:54:55,380
on the surface.
462
00:54:59,100 --> 00:55:02,636
I'm trying to film this new bud
coming out on this lily leaf.
463
00:55:02,660 --> 00:55:06,516
Give or take about three days
to grow from where it is now.
464
00:55:06,540 --> 00:55:09,476
Somewhere in this zone between
these two other leaves.
465
00:55:09,500 --> 00:55:11,676
I want that to last
about ten seconds.
466
00:55:11,700 --> 00:55:14,956
Ten seconds is about 250 frames.
467
00:55:14,980 --> 00:55:17,660
That works out about
one frame every 20 minutes.
468
00:55:19,540 --> 00:55:23,036
But plants don't read scripts.
469
00:55:23,060 --> 00:55:26,860
It's nature, it doesn't always do
what you think it's going to do.
470
00:55:32,940 --> 00:55:36,516
We've had a few false starts where
the leaf has swung out of shot
471
00:55:36,540 --> 00:55:38,020
and gone somewhere else.
472
00:55:43,740 --> 00:55:46,380
Or it just grows a lot quicker
than you thought.
473
00:55:50,180 --> 00:55:52,716
It's a challenge
to get things right.
474
00:55:52,740 --> 00:55:56,876
But with the combination of Tim's
expertise and the new camera system,
475
00:55:56,900 --> 00:55:59,876
results are starting to look good.
476
00:55:59,900 --> 00:56:02,836
I think the difference now
with this series is we can bring
477
00:56:02,860 --> 00:56:07,636
the plants much more to life
as characters and tell their story
478
00:56:07,660 --> 00:56:09,620
in a much more dynamic way.
479
00:56:11,860 --> 00:56:17,116
It's great to be able to follow them
around much more with the way
480
00:56:17,140 --> 00:56:18,980
you'd film an animal behaving.
481
00:56:26,420 --> 00:56:30,956
These rigs have given us a whole
new realm of possibilities.
482
00:56:30,980 --> 00:56:34,076
After over a year
of filming and recording
483
00:56:34,100 --> 00:56:36,556
100,000 separate images,
484
00:56:36,580 --> 00:56:41,476
the secret life of the giant water
lily and the battle of the Pantanal
485
00:56:41,500 --> 00:56:43,340
has been revealed.
486
00:56:49,540 --> 00:56:52,276
Next time on The Green Planet,
487
00:56:52,300 --> 00:56:55,636
the ever changing seasonal world,
488
00:56:55,660 --> 00:56:59,476
full of hunters, tricksters
489
00:56:59,500 --> 00:57:01,340
and unlikely alliances.
490
00:57:04,460 --> 00:57:09,076
Plants here are in a race
against the clock.
491
00:57:09,100 --> 00:57:11,460
Timing is everything.
492
00:57:14,060 --> 00:57:17,556
The Open University
has produced a poster
493
00:57:17,580 --> 00:57:22,436
that explores the vital role
that plants have for our planet.
494
00:57:22,460 --> 00:57:25,180
To order your free copy, call...
495
00:57:28,580 --> 00:57:30,100
..or go to...
496
00:57:34,100 --> 00:57:36,860
..and follow the links
to the Open University.
39605
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