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David Attenborough: Plants cover
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much of the land sun'ace
of our planet.
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00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,360
But there is another
extraordinary green world
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00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:46,720
that is often hidden from us.
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00:01:00,120 --> 00:01:03,040
It's one where plants
have overcome huge challenges
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00:01:03,160 --> 00:01:05,080
in order to survive.
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The world of freshwater.
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At first sight,
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a lake like this
would seem to have
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everything that life needs
in order to thrive -
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clear, oxygen-rich water,
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00:01:43,120 --> 00:01:45,720
plenty of dissolved nutrients
and minerals
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00:01:45,840 --> 00:01:47,800
and lots of sunlight.
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00:01:49,360 --> 00:01:53,080
But in fact, life in freshwater
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00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,640
presents plants
with huge problems.
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00:01:59,400 --> 00:02:03,000
To succeed, plants have had
to abandon
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00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:04,720
many of the adaptations
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00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:07,760
that have served them
so well on land
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00:02:07,880 --> 00:02:10,360
and evolve something quite new.
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00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:12,040
And in doing that,
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00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:15,520
they have created
some of the most beautiful
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00:02:15,640 --> 00:02:19,840
and bizarre and important
habitats on earth.
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00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:28,360
There are few places
where it's more difficult
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00:02:28,480 --> 00:02:30,040
to make a permanent home
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00:02:30,160 --> 00:02:32,520
than a freshwater torrent
like this one.
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00:02:53,360 --> 00:02:58,040
Violent currents
rip across the riverbed,
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00:02:58,160 --> 00:02:59,920
scouring it clean...
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00:03:04,840 --> 00:03:08,040
Ripping land plants
from their margins...
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00:03:09,200 --> 00:03:10,760
And drowning them.
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00:03:14,640 --> 00:03:19,000
How could any plant survive
in a place like this?
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00:03:30,520 --> 00:03:37,280
Yet even here, some do manage
to, quite literally, hold on.
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00:03:41,040 --> 00:03:45,880
They can grasp the bare rock
with remarkable strength.
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00:03:52,120 --> 00:03:54,760
This ability
allows plants to thrive
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00:03:54,880 --> 00:03:57,360
in these otherwise
hostile environments.
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00:04:03,080 --> 00:04:06,080
This is the cano crista/es river
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00:04:06,200 --> 00:04:07,920
in Colombia.
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00:04:22,840 --> 00:04:26,640
These plants are red macarenia,
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00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:30,480
sometimes called
the orchid of the falls.
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00:04:39,880 --> 00:04:42,720
They cling to the riverbed
not with their roots
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00:04:42,840 --> 00:04:44,920
but with their stems,
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00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:46,680
glued to the rock surface
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by one of the most powerful
adhesives in nature.
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00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:59,600
The rock itself will break
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00:04:59,720 --> 00:05:02,120
before these anchors
lose their grip.
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00:05:12,320 --> 00:05:16,800
These feathery filaments
are their modified leaves,
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00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:20,080
and they do what roots
normally do -
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gather the minerals
and nutrients they need
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00:05:23,040 --> 00:05:24,880
that are dissolved in the water.
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00:05:31,120 --> 00:05:33,240
With such spectacular colours,
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00:05:33,360 --> 00:05:34,680
it's hardly surprising
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00:05:34,800 --> 00:05:38,440
that the cano crista/es
is sometimes called
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the most beautiful river
on earth.
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00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:49,440
But being rooted to the spot
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is not always the best strategy
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00:05:51,440 --> 00:05:53,680
for living in a water world.
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00:05:56,760 --> 00:05:59,960
This is a water lettuce,
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00:06:00,080 --> 00:06:03,440
and it has
some remarkable adaptations.
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00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:08,640
Its roots hang freely.
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00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,760
So it's not anchored
to the ground.
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00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,960
And its leaves
are thick and spongy
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00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:17,320
and covered in fine hairs,
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00:06:17,440 --> 00:06:21,840
so the plant itself is,
more or less, unsinkable.
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00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:31,640
This combination
of characteristics
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enable the water lettuce
to do something
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00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:37,960
that almost no land plant
can do -
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it can travel.
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00:06:43,200 --> 00:06:46,400
It is an ability
that becomes invaluable
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00:06:46,520 --> 00:06:49,640
when, during the wet season,
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00:06:49,760 --> 00:06:51,440
flooded rivers
become great highways,
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00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,680
as they do here,
in South America.
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00:06:59,880 --> 00:07:03,520
This is the largest inland
water world on earth,
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00:07:03,640 --> 00:07:05,480
the pantanal.
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00:07:06,920 --> 00:07:08,360
For a few months every year,
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00:07:08,480 --> 00:07:12,520
it provides water plants
with ideal conditions.
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00:07:14,480 --> 00:07:16,080
But all too soon,
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00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,800
it becomes a battleground.
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00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:30,640
Plants are racing to claim
their space on the surface.
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00:07:32,800 --> 00:07:35,240
The water lettuce
rapidly expands
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00:07:35,360 --> 00:07:37,560
its network of hanging roots
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00:07:37,680 --> 00:07:39,240
so that it starts
absorbing nutrients
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00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,600
before other competitors arrive.
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00:07:59,800 --> 00:08:02,280
Water hyacinth appears.
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00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:07,760
Its leaves are carried on stalks
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filled with air
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that also make it
virtually unsinkable.
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00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:21,400
The race for space intensifies.
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00:08:23,640 --> 00:08:26,480
A new competitor arrives -
ludwigia.
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00:08:26,600 --> 00:08:31,280
It spreads by developing
a chain of tiny rafts...
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00:08:32,920 --> 00:08:34,440
Andjostles for space
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00:08:34,560 --> 00:08:38,280
with the densely packed leaves
of mosaic plants.
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00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,800
All are racing to claim
as much sunlight as possible.
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00:08:59,440 --> 00:09:02,840
They flower quickly,
before the floodwaters recede.
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00:09:14,240 --> 00:09:19,000
And these surface dwellers
also have competitors.
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00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,920
Including one
that has been waiting
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00:09:23,040 --> 00:09:24,120
in the depths...
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00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:26,000
And is now stirring.
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It's a monster.
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00:10:06,960 --> 00:10:08,280
It's well armed.
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00:10:24,080 --> 00:10:26,200
It clears space for itself...
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00:10:28,680 --> 00:10:30,840
By wielding one of its buds...
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00:10:32,040 --> 00:10:33,680
Like a club.
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00:10:39,120 --> 00:10:40,640
And now...
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It dominates the surface.
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00:11:02,880 --> 00:11:06,720
This is a leaf
of the giant waterlily.
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00:11:27,400 --> 00:11:31,240
It expands
by over 20 centimetres a day
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00:11:31,360 --> 00:11:35,160
and eventually measures
more than two metres across.
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00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:42,240
Its immense leaves are supported
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00:11:42,360 --> 00:11:44,840
by a network
of air-filled struts
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00:11:44,960 --> 00:11:48,840
and protected by spines
two centimetres long.
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00:11:53,720 --> 00:11:55,480
The leaves float high
in the water,
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00:11:55,600 --> 00:12:00,000
and their surfaces are dotted
with tiny holes - drains -
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00:12:00,120 --> 00:12:01,560
that help them ensure
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00:12:01,680 --> 00:12:05,040
that rainwater doesn't
accumulate and sink them.
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00:12:19,480 --> 00:12:21,800
Nutrients from the fertile mud
below
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00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:24,880
are carried up by tubes
in its stem
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00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:27,520
to fuel the leaf's expansion.
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00:12:35,800 --> 00:12:37,080
Over the next few months,
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00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:40,360
the Lily will produce
some 40 or so
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of these gigantic leaves.
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00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:55,240
And as each one reaches
the surface and expands,
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00:12:55,360 --> 00:12:58,200
more and more light is taken
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from those plants
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00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:01,240
that are trying to grow beneath.
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00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:16,640
Competitors are pushed aside.
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Some are crushed...
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00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:45,400
Or skewered.
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00:14:22,040 --> 00:14:26,320
Eventually, its immense leaves
press their margins
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00:14:26,440 --> 00:14:27,720
against one another,
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00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:31,760
totally cutting off the light
from the plants beneath them.
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00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:37,400
The battle is over...
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00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:40,920
And victory is total.
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00:15:00,440 --> 00:15:02,800
The frozen water world
of lake akan,
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00:15:02,920 --> 00:15:04,200
in northern Japan.
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00:15:08,760 --> 00:15:12,720
Home to one of the strangest
and most primitive of plants.
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00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:18,560
It's an alga,
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00:15:18,680 --> 00:15:22,320
like those that appear
so mysteriously in our ponds.
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00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:28,720
But this one
is truly extraordinary.
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00:15:34,800 --> 00:15:37,280
Each spring,
the melting ice releases
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soft, velvety balls
of interwoven threads
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00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,680
called marimos.
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00:15:48,600 --> 00:15:52,600
This one is small,
no bigger than a walnut.
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But there are lots of them here.
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00:16:02,240 --> 00:16:06,320
They attract the attention
of visiting whooper swans.
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00:16:34,840 --> 00:16:37,240
But there is one way
for the marimo to escape
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00:16:37,360 --> 00:16:38,640
from the danger,
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00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:42,000
and it depends on
a change in the weather.
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00:16:46,680 --> 00:16:48,600
Fortunately, in the spring,
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00:16:48,720 --> 00:16:51,320
winds sweep across the lake...
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00:16:53,040 --> 00:16:57,600
Creating currents
that carry some of the marimos
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00:16:57,720 --> 00:17:00,480
beyond the reach
of hungry swans.
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00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,720
It's the start
of a remarkable journey.
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00:17:24,440 --> 00:17:26,920
They are gently carried
back and forth
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00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:28,400
by the currents
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00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,680
so that the marimos become
more and more spherical.
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00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:43,160
And slowly,
they travel into deeper water.
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00:17:55,760 --> 00:17:58,000
Here, there are
great numbers of them,
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00:17:58,120 --> 00:18:00,560
certainly many millions.
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00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,600
Some are the size
of basketballs.
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00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:13,160
They are safe from swans
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00:18:13,280 --> 00:18:15,400
and the water
is still shallow enough
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for some sunlight to reach them.
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It seems a perfect home.
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And so it is.
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Almost.
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00:18:27,960 --> 00:18:32,320
The snag is that these waters
also carry a fine sediment
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00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:35,760
that can clog
the marimos' surface,
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00:18:35,880 --> 00:18:37,920
cutting off
the all-important light.
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00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:45,160
But the marimos
are not entirely immobile.
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00:18:53,760 --> 00:18:55,640
They dance.
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00:19:05,040 --> 00:19:07,680
The winds blowing
over the lake's surface
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create currents beneath
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00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:13,840
that are sufficiently strong
to move the marimos.
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00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:23,440
They rub against each other.
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00:19:23,560 --> 00:19:26,680
And, in just a couple of hours
of gentle movement,
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00:19:26,800 --> 00:19:29,400
they're all clean once more.
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00:19:36,120 --> 00:19:37,120
As they spin,
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00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:38,880
every part of their surface
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00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:40,920
gets enough time in the sunlight
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00:19:41,040 --> 00:19:42,440
to keep growing.
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00:20:01,200 --> 00:20:03,280
This is the heart of the Amazon.
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00:20:20,760 --> 00:20:23,720
There are water worlds here
that are so remote
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00:20:23,840 --> 00:20:27,440
that, even today,
few people have ever seen them.
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This barely explored tributary
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is rio claro.
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And here,
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when conditions are just right,
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it's possible to witness
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a rare and remarkable spectacle.
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The river is so crystal clear
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00:20:56,320 --> 00:20:59,200
that its bed is bathed
in sunlight.
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A magical landscape
of miniature mountains
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00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:10,840
and valleys.
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00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:27,720
It's carpeted by pipewort,
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00:21:27,840 --> 00:21:31,960
fanwort and star grasses.
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00:21:41,960 --> 00:21:44,680
As the sun climbs in the sky...
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00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:49,640
Bubbles of gas appear.
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00:21:51,720 --> 00:21:54,480
Evidence of photosynthesis.
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00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,520
Deep inside the plant cells,
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00:22:07,640 --> 00:22:10,160
tiny structures
called chloroplasts
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00:22:10,280 --> 00:22:12,600
move towards the light.
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00:22:16,720 --> 00:22:18,760
They absorb carbon dioxide
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00:22:18,880 --> 00:22:22,120
and use the sun's power
to synthesise the sugars
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00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,520
that the plant needs to grow.
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00:22:28,800 --> 00:22:32,680
And, as a by-product,
they release oxygen...
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00:22:35,720 --> 00:22:37,520
The gas that we
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00:22:37,640 --> 00:22:39,440
and all other animals
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00:22:39,560 --> 00:22:42,280
must have in order to breathe.
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00:23:04,080 --> 00:23:05,800
Now, in late afternoon,
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00:23:05,920 --> 00:23:09,440
bubbles of oxygen
make the river water fizz
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00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:11,560
like champagne.
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00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:02,520
The plants can become
so buoyant with gas
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00:24:02,640 --> 00:24:04,880
that they rise to the surface...
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00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:08,560
Even carrying the bedrock
with them.
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00:24:19,840 --> 00:24:22,040
Only in this remote water world
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00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:25,520
can this spectacular
natural wonder be seen.
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00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:36,920
Eastern Venezuela.
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00:24:40,560 --> 00:24:44,920
Here, rectangular
table mountains known as tepui
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00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:47,520
stand above the tropical forest.
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00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:53,440
There are more than 50 such
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00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:55,760
isolated mountain plateaus here,
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00:24:55,880 --> 00:24:58,960
each home to
a unique community of plants.
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00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:08,320
Downpours are so torrential
that no soil can accumulate
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00:25:08,440 --> 00:25:10,480
on their broad, rocky summits,
224
00:25:10,600 --> 00:25:12,400
and some plants living up here
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00:25:12,520 --> 00:25:15,640
have to find their nutrients
from another source.
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00:25:23,800 --> 00:25:26,040
These are bromeliads.
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00:25:31,000 --> 00:25:33,440
Their leaves are shaped
like a funnel
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00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:35,040
and collect rainwater,
229
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:37,840
which accumulates in the centre.
230
00:25:43,120 --> 00:25:47,920
This small pond is colonised
by all kinds of tiny animals.
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00:25:56,560 --> 00:25:59,120
And it is their bodies,
when they die,
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00:25:59,240 --> 00:26:01,240
that provide
some of the nutrients
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00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:02,920
the bromeliads need.
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00:26:04,680 --> 00:26:06,760
This makes a good partnership,
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00:26:06,880 --> 00:26:09,480
in which both parties
can thrive.
236
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,320
But it can be exploited...
237
00:26:15,400 --> 00:26:17,520
By a plant predator.
238
00:26:47,040 --> 00:26:49,280
This probing stem
239
00:26:49,400 --> 00:26:52,320
belongs to a plant called
a bladderwort.
240
00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:56,680
It too is in need of nutrients.
241
00:27:05,400 --> 00:27:08,080
And a well-stocked
bromeliad pool
242
00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:10,760
is just the place to find them.
243
00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:16,680
This one is full
of aquatic animals.
244
00:27:44,000 --> 00:27:46,080
The bladderwort
begins to change...
245
00:27:48,840 --> 00:27:50,640
Into a hunter.
246
00:27:53,040 --> 00:27:56,320
It develops bladders
247
00:27:56,440 --> 00:27:59,040
and removes sufficient
of the water within them
248
00:27:59,160 --> 00:28:02,280
to create a partial vacuum.
249
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:11,480
Each bladder has a trap door
beside it with trigger hairs.
250
00:28:13,640 --> 00:28:17,680
And now all the bladderwort
has to do...
251
00:28:20,240 --> 00:28:22,600
Is to bide its time.
252
00:28:41,640 --> 00:28:43,880
It only takes one touch
253
00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:46,280
for the trap door
to snap open...
254
00:28:49,880 --> 00:28:51,440
And suck in its prey.
255
00:28:58,400 --> 00:29:01,840
It's all over in a millisecond.
256
00:29:11,920 --> 00:29:13,960
And after it has fed,
257
00:29:14,080 --> 00:29:15,960
a bladderwort has enough energy
258
00:29:16,080 --> 00:29:18,360
to produce another tendril,
259
00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:21,360
to search
for another bromeliad pool.
260
00:29:37,280 --> 00:29:41,480
Swamps and bogs
are also poor in nutrients.
261
00:29:43,880 --> 00:29:46,360
So several plants
that live in such places
262
00:29:46,480 --> 00:29:47,880
catch insects too,
263
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:49,520
if they can.
264
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:04,680
The leaves of sundews
265
00:30:04,800 --> 00:30:07,520
are covered with long red hairs,
266
00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:10,440
each tipped with a droplet.
267
00:30:29,240 --> 00:30:34,720
These glistening globules
are in fact glue.
268
00:30:50,520 --> 00:30:52,920
Once the sundews detect
269
00:30:53,040 --> 00:30:55,040
the taste
of their victim's body...
270
00:30:56,760 --> 00:31:00,560
They flood it
with digestive enzymes.
271
00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:12,640
The little body disintegrates.
272
00:31:17,320 --> 00:31:20,360
And the sundew gets
the nutrients it needs.
273
00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:30,280
Another plant has
an even more elaborate way
274
00:31:30,400 --> 00:31:31,560
of catching a meal.
275
00:31:38,400 --> 00:31:40,880
The Venus flytrap has leaves
276
00:31:41,000 --> 00:31:43,760
that are lined
with interlocking teeth.
277
00:31:49,360 --> 00:31:52,840
It attracts insects
by producing a sweet perfume,
278
00:31:52,960 --> 00:31:54,800
just as a flower does.
279
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:00,400
It too has a hair trigger.
280
00:32:12,280 --> 00:32:14,960
And another insect is caught.
281
00:32:28,040 --> 00:32:30,560
But the technique
is more complex
282
00:32:30,680 --> 00:32:31,800
than it might seem.
283
00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:39,160
The Venus flytrap has a problem.
284
00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,040
It needs to avoid false alarms -
285
00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:45,360
snapping shut
on something inedible,
286
00:32:45,480 --> 00:32:49,280
like a raindrop
or a little bit of twig.
287
00:32:50,360 --> 00:32:54,000
That would be a waste
of both time and energy.
288
00:32:54,120 --> 00:32:56,720
So how does it avoid that?
289
00:32:56,840 --> 00:32:59,720
Well, it does it by counting.
290
00:33:00,840 --> 00:33:05,120
If I touch this one
sensitive hair just there...
291
00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:08,760
No reaction.
292
00:33:08,880 --> 00:33:10,400
That could be a false alarm.
293
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:15,280
But the plant remembers that
for 20 seconds.
294
00:33:15,400 --> 00:33:18,600
And if I touch it a second time
within that time...
295
00:33:19,720 --> 00:33:22,400
Then that's much more likely
to be worth eating.
296
00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:28,720
It closes!
297
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,360
So far, so good.
298
00:33:33,480 --> 00:33:36,240
But now it needs to be
absolutely certain
299
00:33:36,360 --> 00:33:38,640
that it's got something
worth eating,
300
00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:41,560
so it continues counting.
301
00:33:41,680 --> 00:33:45,440
Only after it has totted up
five separate touches
302
00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:47,000
to those hairs
303
00:33:47,120 --> 00:33:50,080
will it give the final squeeze
304
00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:52,640
and then begin to produce
the liquid
305
00:33:52,760 --> 00:33:54,400
from the surface of the leaf
306
00:33:54,520 --> 00:33:58,200
which will dissolve the body
of its unfortunate victim.
307
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,800
The flytrap now has
enough energy
308
00:34:03,920 --> 00:34:05,320
to produce flowers
309
00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:08,680
and attract pollinating insects.
310
00:34:19,080 --> 00:34:21,400
Wind and insects, between them,
311
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:24,760
pollinate
virtually all land plants.
312
00:34:24,880 --> 00:34:27,760
But neither method can be used
313
00:34:27,880 --> 00:34:30,920
by plants that live
entirely underwater,
314
00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:33,720
so some lead double lives.
315
00:34:37,160 --> 00:34:39,680
At York stream,
in southern england,
316
00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:41,240
and swaying in the current
317
00:34:41,360 --> 00:34:44,320
is a plant for which
these rivers are famous.
318
00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:51,040
This is water crowfoot,
a kind of aquatic buttercup.
319
00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:53,920
For most of the year,
it is underwater.
320
00:34:54,040 --> 00:34:57,400
And if I take
this underwater camera...
321
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:05,000
You can see its floppy stems
grow horizontally.
322
00:35:05,120 --> 00:35:06,880
That reduces the risk
323
00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,040
of being swept away
by the current.
324
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:14,920
But each spring,
when it's time to flower,
325
00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:19,080
it produces something
crucially different.
326
00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:23,560
A stem that is stiff enough
to resist the current...
327
00:35:25,320 --> 00:35:28,280
And lift its flowers
into the air above.
328
00:35:48,880 --> 00:35:52,440
And now, of course,
they can get help from insects.
329
00:36:08,040 --> 00:36:11,800
So, every year,
in part at least,
330
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:14,960
water crowfoot
becomes a land plant...
331
00:36:17,960 --> 00:36:19,280
And provides us
332
00:36:19,400 --> 00:36:21,880
with one of the loveliest
natural spectacles
333
00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:23,800
of the early English summer.
334
00:36:33,560 --> 00:36:36,520
Water crowfoot is not
the only water plant
335
00:36:36,640 --> 00:36:38,560
to lift its flowers
above the surface.
336
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,960
Plants do so
all around the world.
337
00:36:52,960 --> 00:36:56,120
From the swamps
of the pantanal...
338
00:37:00,360 --> 00:37:02,680
To the lakes of Thailand...
339
00:37:04,440 --> 00:37:08,040
They all burst into
spectacular bloom.
340
00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:21,640
Once they've been pollinated,
they produce seeds.
341
00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,680
And now their flowers
have done their job,
342
00:37:36,800 --> 00:37:38,600
some return to a life...
343
00:37:40,080 --> 00:37:41,880
Underwater.
344
00:37:46,840 --> 00:37:49,440
Now they must ensure
345
00:37:49,560 --> 00:37:51,280
that some of their seeds
346
00:37:51,400 --> 00:37:54,760
will find suitable places
in which to germinate.
347
00:38:08,920 --> 00:38:10,680
Bulrushes, every year,
348
00:38:10,800 --> 00:38:15,320
produce these long,
brown, velvety objects.
349
00:38:16,840 --> 00:38:19,080
Look what happens
when I break one open.
350
00:38:22,760 --> 00:38:27,080
It contains almost
a quarter of a million seeds.
351
00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:38,680
Each seed is attached
to a delicate parachute.
352
00:38:44,480 --> 00:38:47,760
Even the slightest breeze
will lift it
353
00:38:47,880 --> 00:38:51,320
and may carry it
for very long distances indeed.
354
00:38:54,200 --> 00:38:57,240
So even though suitable
stretches of freshwater
355
00:38:57,360 --> 00:38:59,160
are few and far between,
356
00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:01,800
there's a good chance
that at least one
357
00:39:01,920 --> 00:39:04,280
will end up in a place
where it can grow.
358
00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:17,560
Much bigger seeds, of course,
can't travel by air.
359
00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:27,440
A river can provide transport,
360
00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:30,160
but it's a one-way journey -
361
00:39:30,280 --> 00:39:31,640
downstream -
362
00:39:31,760 --> 00:39:34,240
that often ends up in the sea.
363
00:39:37,920 --> 00:39:39,320
And that's not ideal.
364
00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:45,960
So how can any riverside plant
avoid this
365
00:39:46,080 --> 00:39:47,840
and travel upstream?
366
00:39:50,560 --> 00:39:53,400
Here, along the bonito river,
in Brazil,
367
00:39:53,520 --> 00:39:57,680
a variety of trees
manage to do exactly that.
368
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:06,720
They embed their seeds
369
00:40:06,840 --> 00:40:09,640
in the middle
of soft, sweet fruit.
370
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:29,240
Monkeys,
such as these capuchins...
371
00:40:30,600 --> 00:40:34,640
Make a meal of them
just as soon as they're ripe.
372
00:40:38,040 --> 00:40:42,720
But monkeys
are very wasteful feeders.
373
00:40:42,840 --> 00:40:44,320
And what's not eaten...
374
00:40:46,280 --> 00:40:49,840
Ends up in the river
and is washed away.
375
00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:05,800
But not all.
376
00:41:24,280 --> 00:41:25,720
In the fruiting season,
377
00:41:25,840 --> 00:41:29,120
hundreds of piraputanga fish
378
00:41:29,240 --> 00:41:31,080
gather beneath these trees.
379
00:41:40,040 --> 00:41:43,960
But the piraputanga want more
than the monkeys' leftovers.
380
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:50,320
The brightly coloured fruits
are clearly visible,
381
00:41:50,440 --> 00:41:53,000
even to the fish
in the water below.
382
00:42:02,600 --> 00:42:04,760
And some manage to claim them
383
00:42:04,880 --> 00:42:07,120
even before a monkey does.
384
00:42:21,320 --> 00:42:22,800
This isn't a skill mastered
385
00:42:22,920 --> 00:42:26,280
by just one particularly
successful acrobatic fish.
386
00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:30,160
Many of the piraputanga
can do this.
387
00:42:34,920 --> 00:42:38,800
Nor is this a disaster
for the tree.
388
00:42:44,360 --> 00:42:46,120
Far from it.
389
00:42:51,320 --> 00:42:54,840
These piraputanga are migratory,
390
00:42:54,960 --> 00:42:59,040
heading many miles upriver
to spawn.
391
00:43:06,960 --> 00:43:10,240
The trees, by enticing the fish
to eat their fruits,
392
00:43:10,360 --> 00:43:13,360
have a perfect means of
transport for their seeds.
393
00:43:15,560 --> 00:43:18,400
With luck, the seeds
will be deposited
394
00:43:18,520 --> 00:43:21,000
many miles upstream.
395
00:43:38,800 --> 00:43:41,800
The ability to colonise
new habitats
396
00:43:41,920 --> 00:43:44,920
has allowed one group
of flowering plants
397
00:43:45,040 --> 00:43:47,080
to venture out of freshwater
398
00:43:47,200 --> 00:43:50,760
and into a world that may look
the same to us...
399
00:43:51,800 --> 00:43:54,520
But for a plant
is crucially different.
400
00:43:58,080 --> 00:44:01,720
The much greater,
saltier world -
401
00:44:01,840 --> 00:44:03,360
the sea.
402
00:44:06,640 --> 00:44:09,920
This is a fruit from one
of the most important plants
403
00:44:10,040 --> 00:44:12,000
on the earth today.
404
00:44:13,160 --> 00:44:14,480
Sea grass.
405
00:44:22,400 --> 00:44:26,600
This particular one is floating
off the coast of formentera,
406
00:44:26,720 --> 00:44:28,040
in the mediterranean.
407
00:44:40,280 --> 00:44:42,440
100,000 years ago,
408
00:44:42,560 --> 00:44:45,000
a sea grass seed like this
409
00:44:45,120 --> 00:44:48,320
sank to the sea floor just here.
410
00:45:02,960 --> 00:45:05,040
And eventually, it produced...
411
00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:07,880
A great Meadow.
412
00:45:12,040 --> 00:45:16,200
A Meadow that is still
flourishing today.
413
00:45:19,600 --> 00:45:22,480
It did so by cloning itself.
414
00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:28,560
Now over ten miles across,
415
00:45:28,680 --> 00:45:30,720
it's not only one of the largest
416
00:45:30,840 --> 00:45:32,520
living organisms on earth...
417
00:45:33,840 --> 00:45:36,240
It's also one of the oldest.
418
00:45:43,880 --> 00:45:46,320
And it supports a rich community
419
00:45:46,440 --> 00:45:48,480
of many kinds of animals.
420
00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,280
It's become
a kind of marine Savanna.
421
00:46:01,560 --> 00:46:05,080
Over a thousand species
now live here.
422
00:46:05,200 --> 00:46:08,760
Some, like these elegantly
camouflaged pipefish,
423
00:46:08,880 --> 00:46:12,560
live nowhere else
but amongst the sea grass.
424
00:46:22,400 --> 00:46:26,240
Sea grass fringes
many of the world's coasts.
425
00:46:33,240 --> 00:46:36,080
Turtles depend upon it, too.
426
00:46:40,120 --> 00:46:42,080
And so do dugong,
427
00:46:42,200 --> 00:46:43,920
animals
that are sometimes called,
428
00:46:44,040 --> 00:46:47,920
very appropriately, sea cows.
429
00:46:55,320 --> 00:46:59,080
Today, sea grass
plays a critical role
430
00:46:59,200 --> 00:47:01,480
in maintaining the health
of our planet.
431
00:47:03,400 --> 00:47:06,400
It creates stores of carbon
around its roots
432
00:47:06,520 --> 00:47:08,600
at an enormous rate -
433
00:47:08,720 --> 00:47:11,360
35 times faster, in fact,
434
00:47:11,480 --> 00:47:13,280
than plants that live
on the floor
435
00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:14,880
of a tropical rainforest.
436
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:20,720
Here, off formentera,
437
00:47:20,840 --> 00:47:23,680
it's possible to see
beneath the living sea grass
438
00:47:23,800 --> 00:47:26,600
layer upon layer
of trapped carbon
439
00:47:26,720 --> 00:47:28,520
that the plants have accumulated
440
00:47:28,640 --> 00:47:31,040
over the past 2,000 years.
441
00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:42,640
Sea grass, however, is easily
destroyed by human disturbance.
442
00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:44,680
A third of the world's
underwater meadows
443
00:47:44,800 --> 00:47:46,840
have already been lost,
444
00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:49,360
and many more are in decline.
445
00:47:57,480 --> 00:47:59,200
Biologists are now striving
446
00:47:59,320 --> 00:48:02,360
to not only protect
the remaining meadows
447
00:48:02,480 --> 00:48:04,080
but to restore them.
448
00:48:07,160 --> 00:48:09,880
One plant at a time.
449
00:48:16,720 --> 00:48:19,760
Sea grass could be
a valuable ally
450
00:48:19,880 --> 00:48:22,160
in our fight
against climate change.
451
00:48:26,200 --> 00:48:30,280
Today, water worlds everywhere
are under threat.
452
00:48:35,960 --> 00:48:39,280
Many of their inhabitants
are disappearing
453
00:48:39,400 --> 00:48:42,440
without us even being aware
of their existence.
454
00:48:50,560 --> 00:48:52,200
The plants that grow in water
455
00:48:52,320 --> 00:48:54,640
are probably
the least noticeable.
456
00:48:54,760 --> 00:48:57,160
They're certainly
the least studied.
457
00:48:57,280 --> 00:48:58,520
But the more you know
458
00:48:58,640 --> 00:49:01,200
about the problems
of living in that way,
459
00:49:01,320 --> 00:49:04,480
the greater the wonder
of their success.
460
00:49:06,080 --> 00:49:09,240
Surely, they deserve
more of our attention
461
00:49:09,360 --> 00:49:12,520
and, most importantly, our care.
462
00:49:29,440 --> 00:49:32,680
This vast wetland
is the pantanal.
463
00:49:32,800 --> 00:49:34,480
The water worlds team
464
00:49:34,600 --> 00:49:37,320
are heading
to a plant battlefield -
465
00:49:37,440 --> 00:49:41,840
the home
of Brazil's giant waterlily.
466
00:49:44,520 --> 00:49:46,760
This is like seeing
the end of a war -
467
00:49:46,880 --> 00:49:49,080
there are leaves growing
on top of each other,
468
00:49:49,200 --> 00:49:52,560
flowers going through leaves...
Unbelievable.
469
00:49:55,360 --> 00:49:58,040
To capture this story
in all its detail
470
00:49:58,160 --> 00:49:59,720
would take over a year
471
00:49:59,840 --> 00:50:02,600
and require a unique
green planet approach,
472
00:50:02,720 --> 00:50:04,480
both filming here
473
00:50:04,600 --> 00:50:07,320
and in a parallel mini pantanal,
474
00:50:07,440 --> 00:50:09,160
in deepest, darkest...
475
00:50:09,280 --> 00:50:10,840
Devon.
476
00:50:14,040 --> 00:50:16,160
This is the unique world
477
00:50:16,280 --> 00:50:19,520
of specialist time-lapse
cameraman Tim Shepherd.
478
00:50:22,480 --> 00:50:24,240
Tim has the reputation
479
00:50:24,360 --> 00:50:27,400
of being able
to think like a plant.
480
00:50:28,480 --> 00:50:30,240
It's absolutely crucial
481
00:50:30,360 --> 00:50:32,160
that you get the plant
really happy.
482
00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:35,520
And to make the giant Lily
feel totally at home,
483
00:50:35,640 --> 00:50:39,360
Tim must build a little piece
of Brazilian wetland.
484
00:50:41,680 --> 00:50:44,440
First, a 10, 000-litre tank.
485
00:50:47,680 --> 00:50:49,000
Hundreds of bricks,
486
00:50:49,120 --> 00:50:51,840
almost a thousand kilos of soil
487
00:50:51,960 --> 00:50:54,120
and countless cups of tea later,
488
00:50:54,240 --> 00:50:56,280
the foundations are complete.
489
00:50:57,800 --> 00:50:59,800
So far, so good.
490
00:50:59,920 --> 00:51:02,720
Now time to prepare
491
00:51:02,840 --> 00:51:04,960
for the new green planet
camera system.
492
00:51:05,080 --> 00:51:06,080
That way.
493
00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:09,440
We're trying to assemble
the main gantry framework
494
00:51:09,560 --> 00:51:11,840
so that we can mount
the moving rig on top of it.
495
00:51:11,960 --> 00:51:15,080
So it's a bit of a fiddle
to get all the screws
496
00:51:15,200 --> 00:51:16,720
in all the right places,
basically.
497
00:51:18,560 --> 00:51:20,240
After a few weeks,
498
00:51:20,360 --> 00:51:22,240
the building works are complete.
499
00:51:23,800 --> 00:51:25,760
The flood can now begin.
500
00:51:32,960 --> 00:51:35,600
Tim needs to be sure
everything in the room
501
00:51:35,720 --> 00:51:38,320
is heated
to tropical temperatures...
502
00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:39,880
Ah!
503
00:51:42,240 --> 00:51:45,480
Before the star of the scene
can move in.
504
00:51:48,640 --> 00:51:51,360
Carefully grown
at the royal botanic gardens
505
00:51:51,480 --> 00:51:53,680
at kew, especially for us.
506
00:51:58,400 --> 00:52:01,280
Everything depends
on this one plant.
507
00:52:01,400 --> 00:52:04,240
There will be no time
for a second attempt.
508
00:52:06,920 --> 00:52:08,880
And even more important for Tim,
509
00:52:09,000 --> 00:52:11,280
to keep his guest
happy and healthy.
510
00:52:12,560 --> 00:52:15,480
This big monster
needs a lot of feeding.
511
00:52:15,600 --> 00:52:18,040
We've found we need
about five sandbags
512
00:52:18,160 --> 00:52:21,200
full of compost
every two or three weeks.
513
00:52:21,320 --> 00:52:23,480
So we just sort of lower them in
514
00:52:23,600 --> 00:52:24,920
and stick them
down by the roots.
515
00:52:25,040 --> 00:52:26,800
Whoa! There we go.
516
00:52:26,920 --> 00:52:29,800
Whilst the Devon giant
settles in...
517
00:52:31,320 --> 00:52:32,840
The pantanal crew
518
00:52:32,960 --> 00:52:36,000
are continuing
to get their shots.
519
00:52:36,120 --> 00:52:37,120
Time to see
520
00:52:37,160 --> 00:52:39,120
some giant waterlilies
underwater,
521
00:52:39,240 --> 00:52:42,160
and I hope there's no anaconda.
522
00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:49,640
Oof!
523
00:52:49,760 --> 00:52:52,160
Mission accomplished.
524
00:52:54,760 --> 00:52:57,360
The pressure is now on Tim.
525
00:52:59,920 --> 00:53:01,680
After months of pampering,
526
00:53:01,800 --> 00:53:04,640
the giant Lily
is ready for action.
527
00:53:07,080 --> 00:53:10,160
First thing to film
is a leaf spike rising up
528
00:53:10,280 --> 00:53:11,360
from the depths.
529
00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:16,640
Luckily,
there are no anacondas here.
530
00:53:19,280 --> 00:53:22,240
The special camera
weighs over 40 kg.
531
00:53:22,360 --> 00:53:24,760
It's suddenly become
less heavy, which is good.
532
00:53:25,840 --> 00:53:27,000
The new rig
533
00:53:27,120 --> 00:53:28,640
means Tim will be able to follow
534
00:53:28,760 --> 00:53:31,120
the emerging plant
in any direction.
535
00:53:36,600 --> 00:53:38,600
Whoa! Fancy!
536
00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:39,920
(Laughs)
537
00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:42,160
The technology is working well,
538
00:53:42,280 --> 00:53:46,040
but nature is starting
to derail Tim's plans.
539
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:49,160
Getting really tangled up
with all these weeds!
540
00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,400
What happens is, we've got
541
00:53:52,520 --> 00:53:54,880
a bit of an ecosystem
developing here.
542
00:53:55,000 --> 00:53:58,320
Before you know it,
you get masses and masses
543
00:53:58,440 --> 00:54:00,080
of algae growing
in amongst it all.
544
00:54:00,200 --> 00:54:01,720
Eugh!
545
00:54:01,840 --> 00:54:03,960
Gah!
546
00:54:04,080 --> 00:54:07,480
I think I've just released
some anaerobic gases there.
547
00:54:07,600 --> 00:54:09,640
No, not me, the...
548
00:54:09,760 --> 00:54:11,160
The algae.
549
00:54:12,520 --> 00:54:16,680
State-of-the-art tools
help keep the algae at bay.
550
00:54:19,040 --> 00:54:21,120
Eugh!
551
00:54:27,400 --> 00:54:31,160
Just in time
for Tim to film liftoff.
552
00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:44,720
Well, that's quite nice,
coming out of the water.
553
00:54:44,840 --> 00:54:45,840
Look at that!
554
00:54:45,880 --> 00:54:47,680
Tim's focus can now shift
555
00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:50,840
to the battle that's starting
to take place on the surface.
556
00:54:54,240 --> 00:54:55,400
Well, I'm trying to film
557
00:54:55,520 --> 00:54:57,720
this new bud
coming out on this Lily leaf.
558
00:54:57,840 --> 00:54:59,600
It's going to take
about three days
559
00:54:59,720 --> 00:55:02,080
to grow from where it is now
560
00:55:02,200 --> 00:55:04,800
to somewhere in this zone,
between these two other leaves.
561
00:55:04,920 --> 00:55:06,920
I want that to last
about ten seconds.
562
00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:10,360
Ten seconds is about 250 frames.
563
00:55:10,480 --> 00:55:13,560
That works out to about
one frame every 20 minutes.
564
00:55:14,640 --> 00:55:18,080
But plants don't read scripts.
565
00:55:18,200 --> 00:55:20,680
It's nature -
it doesn't always do
566
00:55:20,800 --> 00:55:22,280
what you think it's going to do.
567
00:55:28,120 --> 00:55:30,160
We've had a few false starts,
568
00:55:30,280 --> 00:55:32,880
where the leaf has swung out of
shot and gone somewhere else.
569
00:55:38,400 --> 00:55:41,720
Or it just grows a lot quicker
than you thought.
570
00:55:45,640 --> 00:55:47,760
It's a challenge
to get things right,
571
00:55:47,880 --> 00:55:50,400
but with the combination
of Tim's expertise
572
00:55:50,520 --> 00:55:51,680
and the new camera system,
573
00:55:51,800 --> 00:55:54,720
results are starting
to look good.
574
00:55:54,840 --> 00:55:56,640
I think the difference now
with this series
575
00:55:56,760 --> 00:55:59,720
is we can bring the plants
much more to life
576
00:55:59,840 --> 00:56:01,080
as characters
577
00:56:01,200 --> 00:56:04,800
and tell their story
in a much more dynamic way.
578
00:56:07,280 --> 00:56:10,680
It's great to be able
to follow them around,
579
00:56:10,800 --> 00:56:14,080
much more in the way
you'd film an animal behaving.
580
00:56:20,800 --> 00:56:23,800
These rigs have given us
581
00:56:23,920 --> 00:56:26,000
a whole new realm
of possibilities.
582
00:56:26,120 --> 00:56:29,040
After over a year of filming
and recording
583
00:56:29,160 --> 00:56:32,040
100, 000 separate images,
584
00:56:32,160 --> 00:56:34,760
the secret life
of the giant waterlily
585
00:56:34,880 --> 00:56:38,240
and the battle of the pantanal
has been revealed.
40508
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