1 00:00:09,300 --> 00:00:11,300 The biggest living thing 2 00:00:11,300 --> 00:00:14,020 that exists on this planet is a plant... 3 00:00:15,980 --> 00:00:18,580 ..like this giant sequoia tree in California. 4 00:00:22,460 --> 00:00:26,540 Plants, whether they are enormous, like this one, 5 00:00:26,540 --> 00:00:29,980 or microscopic, are the basis of all life, 6 00:00:29,980 --> 00:00:32,420 including ourselves. 7 00:00:32,420 --> 00:00:36,700 We depend upon them for every mouthful of food that we eat 8 00:00:36,700 --> 00:00:39,700 and every lung full of air that we breathe. 9 00:00:43,300 --> 00:00:46,380 Plants flourish in remarkable ways, 10 00:00:46,380 --> 00:00:48,740 yet, for the most part, 11 00:00:48,740 --> 00:00:52,900 the secrets of their world have been hidden from us... 12 00:00:52,900 --> 00:00:54,740 ..until now. 13 00:00:54,740 --> 00:00:55,740 CRACKING 14 00:01:01,460 --> 00:01:06,820 Now we have new ground-breaking technology that enables us 15 00:01:06,820 --> 00:01:10,020 to enter their extraordinary world 16 00:01:10,020 --> 00:01:12,420 and see their lives from their perspective. 17 00:01:20,340 --> 00:01:24,620 This series will reveal the extraordinary 18 00:01:24,620 --> 00:01:26,860 and dramatic ways in which plants behave... 19 00:01:33,020 --> 00:01:36,100 ..and we will explore the challenges demanded by 20 00:01:36,100 --> 00:01:38,620 the very different landscapes in which they live. 21 00:01:42,980 --> 00:01:44,500 The tropics. 22 00:01:46,100 --> 00:01:48,380 The richest and most competitive place 23 00:01:48,380 --> 00:01:49,740 in which to survive. 24 00:01:53,140 --> 00:01:54,900 The bizarre water world... 25 00:01:58,620 --> 00:02:02,180 ..where giants fight ferocious battles, 26 00:02:02,180 --> 00:02:05,060 and plants eat animals alive. 27 00:02:07,460 --> 00:02:09,140 Deserts... 28 00:02:09,140 --> 00:02:10,900 Agh! 29 00:02:11,900 --> 00:02:14,140 A world of extremes. 30 00:02:18,820 --> 00:02:20,860 Seasonal lands... 31 00:02:23,540 --> 00:02:27,780 ..where survival depends on precision timing. 32 00:02:29,020 --> 00:02:31,660 And everywhere, we will explore the critical 33 00:02:31,660 --> 00:02:36,500 and intimate relationships between plants and animals, 34 00:02:36,500 --> 00:02:38,060 including ourselves. 35 00:02:42,020 --> 00:02:46,340 Join me in a world that takes you by surprise... 36 00:02:49,900 --> 00:02:52,700 CHUCKLES 37 00:02:54,740 --> 00:02:57,300 ..and see our planet as never before... 38 00:03:03,140 --> 00:03:05,780 ..from the plants' perspective. 39 00:03:07,180 --> 00:03:09,940 This is The Green Planet. 40 00:03:44,980 --> 00:03:47,460 BIRDS AND ANIMALS CALL 41 00:03:54,300 --> 00:03:57,980 I'm in Costa Rica, in the heart of a rainforest, 42 00:03:57,980 --> 00:04:01,820 the richest and most dynamic environment on Earth. 43 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:05,780 Rainforests only cover a very small proportion 44 00:04:05,780 --> 00:04:07,340 of the Earth's surface, 45 00:04:07,340 --> 00:04:10,180 yet they contain over half of all known 46 00:04:10,180 --> 00:04:13,220 species of animals and plants. 47 00:04:15,540 --> 00:04:20,940 Up here, the forest's canopy is bathed by life-giving sunlight. 48 00:04:26,020 --> 00:04:28,220 The branches of the great trees 49 00:04:28,220 --> 00:04:30,740 carry rich, flourishing sky gardens... 50 00:04:37,420 --> 00:04:41,180 ..home to countless different kinds of beautiful plants. 51 00:04:44,900 --> 00:04:49,140 Each species has evolved its own exquisite solution 52 00:04:49,140 --> 00:04:51,580 to the challenges of survival. 53 00:04:56,740 --> 00:05:00,180 This forest world may look peaceful, 54 00:05:00,180 --> 00:05:02,620 timeless and unchanging, 55 00:05:02,620 --> 00:05:06,820 but that is far from the truth. 56 00:05:06,820 --> 00:05:09,100 This is a battlefield. 57 00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:17,620 Throughout this forest, plants are competing ferociously 58 00:05:17,620 --> 00:05:20,940 with one another to claim the light. 59 00:05:23,660 --> 00:05:27,740 The battle is at its fiercest on the forest floor... 60 00:05:32,260 --> 00:05:34,980 ..where only 2% of the sunlight filters through. 61 00:05:37,540 --> 00:05:40,220 Plants here have to bide their time. 62 00:05:45,860 --> 00:05:50,300 Their opportunity comes when an old tree dies. 63 00:05:54,820 --> 00:05:58,060 When that happens, sunlight floods the forest floor 64 00:05:58,060 --> 00:06:01,020 for the first time in perhaps 100 years. 65 00:06:20,900 --> 00:06:23,700 The seedling's wait is over. 66 00:06:27,700 --> 00:06:30,340 It must now race skywards 67 00:06:30,340 --> 00:06:32,540 and claim a place in the canopy. 68 00:06:34,180 --> 00:06:36,260 But it's not alone. 69 00:06:36,260 --> 00:06:37,900 RUSTLING 70 00:06:40,100 --> 00:06:42,540 Rivals are everywhere, 71 00:06:42,540 --> 00:06:44,900 each with its own survival strategy. 72 00:06:58,580 --> 00:07:01,300 Some plants, like this monstera, 73 00:07:01,300 --> 00:07:04,740 stretch out divided leaves to collect what light they can. 74 00:07:12,060 --> 00:07:16,460 This vine is groping blindly around with its tendrils. 75 00:07:20,500 --> 00:07:24,340 It attempts to reach the light by hitching a ride. 76 00:07:27,620 --> 00:07:30,620 Its tendrils are highly sensitive to touch. 77 00:07:36,260 --> 00:07:39,980 And a suitable target is in range. 78 00:07:46,260 --> 00:07:47,540 Got it! 79 00:08:07,820 --> 00:08:09,660 The vine tightens its grip 80 00:08:09,660 --> 00:08:12,700 and begins to haul itself upwards. 81 00:08:16,700 --> 00:08:19,020 But it's now overtaken 82 00:08:19,020 --> 00:08:22,260 by the forest's fastest-growing tree. 83 00:08:25,460 --> 00:08:27,100 A young balsa. 84 00:08:30,820 --> 00:08:34,340 Its giant leaves are already 40cm across 85 00:08:34,340 --> 00:08:37,700 and are stealing the light from its rivals below. 86 00:08:39,740 --> 00:08:42,340 But the balsa's battle is not yet won. 87 00:08:43,780 --> 00:08:47,620 Other, different vines are lying in wait. 88 00:08:58,420 --> 00:09:03,420 Each is armed with dozens of claw-like hooks. 89 00:09:06,420 --> 00:09:10,060 If just one hook gets a grip, 90 00:09:10,060 --> 00:09:12,980 the vine will be able to smother its victim. 91 00:09:46,300 --> 00:09:52,100 But the balsa is defended by a shield of slippery hairs. 92 00:09:56,700 --> 00:09:59,740 The vine's hooks just can't get a hold. 93 00:10:03,220 --> 00:10:05,860 The balsa brushes them aside... 94 00:10:05,860 --> 00:10:08,460 ..and continues to rush skywards... 95 00:10:16,340 --> 00:10:18,900 ..leaving the losers in its shadow 96 00:10:18,900 --> 00:10:20,700 to fight among themselves. 97 00:10:25,220 --> 00:10:28,260 This balsa has won its battle for the light. 98 00:10:34,300 --> 00:10:36,980 And it's done so in a little over a year. 99 00:10:40,180 --> 00:10:43,700 Most trees would have grown an inch or so in that time, 100 00:10:43,700 --> 00:10:48,100 but this one is already 30 feet - 10 metres - tall. 101 00:10:53,980 --> 00:10:55,980 Balsas owe their success 102 00:10:55,980 --> 00:10:58,580 to the special character of their wood. 103 00:11:00,460 --> 00:11:03,700 If this section of tree trunk came from a hardwood tree, 104 00:11:03,700 --> 00:11:05,340 it would be really quite heavy. 105 00:11:05,340 --> 00:11:06,780 But as it is, 106 00:11:06,780 --> 00:11:08,380 it's from balsa, 107 00:11:08,380 --> 00:11:11,660 and it's really very light, 108 00:11:11,660 --> 00:11:14,700 and that's because of its internal structure. 109 00:11:17,980 --> 00:11:21,580 Under the microscope, balsawood looks like a honeycomb. 110 00:11:23,620 --> 00:11:26,220 It contains more air than wood, 111 00:11:26,220 --> 00:11:29,540 so, not only can it grow very fast, 112 00:11:29,540 --> 00:11:33,540 but it gets the maximum height for minimum weight. 113 00:11:35,380 --> 00:11:38,460 But fast growth needs something else. 114 00:11:38,460 --> 00:11:40,060 Fuel... 115 00:11:40,060 --> 00:11:42,100 ..and lots of it. 116 00:11:52,100 --> 00:11:55,100 That fuel is created in a plant's leaves, 117 00:11:55,100 --> 00:11:57,060 as they soak up the sun. 118 00:12:08,340 --> 00:12:11,300 It's a process called photosynthesis... 119 00:12:13,820 --> 00:12:19,460 ..a chemical reaction that is the basis of all life on Earth. 120 00:12:25,220 --> 00:12:29,260 Leaves are covered by thousands of microscopic pores 121 00:12:29,260 --> 00:12:31,060 called stomata. 122 00:12:32,540 --> 00:12:36,380 When open, they extract carbon dioxide from the air, 123 00:12:36,380 --> 00:12:38,620 and, using energy from the sun, 124 00:12:38,620 --> 00:12:42,460 combine it with nutrients to build the plant's tissues. 125 00:12:46,260 --> 00:12:50,620 And critically for us, the process releases the oxygen 126 00:12:50,620 --> 00:12:55,020 that we and all animals need in order to breathe. 127 00:13:01,340 --> 00:13:04,860 BIRD CALLS 128 00:13:06,020 --> 00:13:09,500 But for plants, there is a downside. 129 00:13:09,500 --> 00:13:12,940 These precious, energy-packed leaves attract predators... 130 00:13:15,580 --> 00:13:16,980 ..in every shape... 131 00:13:18,540 --> 00:13:19,740 ..size... 132 00:13:21,860 --> 00:13:24,060 ..and agility. 133 00:13:36,460 --> 00:13:40,580 A sloth can only move slowly, 134 00:13:40,580 --> 00:13:44,100 but you don't need speed to gather leaves, 135 00:13:44,100 --> 00:13:46,260 and it eats nothing else. 136 00:14:04,980 --> 00:14:08,500 The plants here are under constant attack 137 00:14:08,500 --> 00:14:11,780 from all kinds of leaf-eaters, 138 00:14:11,780 --> 00:14:15,580 but the most voracious by far is hardly ever seen. 139 00:14:17,540 --> 00:14:22,220 It consumes 50,000 leaves every day. 140 00:14:22,220 --> 00:14:25,300 It's created this great clearing in the forest... 141 00:14:26,660 --> 00:14:29,260 ..and it lives just beneath my feet. 142 00:14:37,820 --> 00:14:40,460 It's called leucoagaricus. 143 00:14:43,420 --> 00:14:45,500 It's neither animal nor plant. 144 00:14:48,020 --> 00:14:49,580 It's a fungus. 145 00:14:51,580 --> 00:14:54,700 It lives five metres underground, 146 00:14:54,700 --> 00:14:57,100 far from the leaves that it devours. 147 00:15:01,060 --> 00:15:02,620 To get them, 148 00:15:02,620 --> 00:15:05,980 it employs the best leaf-gatherers in the tropics. 149 00:15:12,340 --> 00:15:13,980 Leafcutter ants. 150 00:15:20,060 --> 00:15:23,420 Millions of them provide the fungus with its food, 151 00:15:23,420 --> 00:15:27,380 and in return, the fungus cultivates tiny mushrooms 152 00:15:27,380 --> 00:15:29,100 as food for the ants. 153 00:15:35,020 --> 00:15:37,980 The fungus releases chemical signals 154 00:15:37,980 --> 00:15:41,620 that tell the worker ants what type of leaf it wants to eat. 155 00:15:44,340 --> 00:15:48,700 Scouts are sent out with the latest orders. 156 00:15:55,740 --> 00:15:58,540 Worker ants will travel hundreds of metres 157 00:15:58,540 --> 00:16:00,100 to find the right kind. 158 00:16:03,180 --> 00:16:06,660 Today's crop is being taken from a young bixa tree. 159 00:16:10,460 --> 00:16:13,740 Just a few years old and still battling to reach the canopy, 160 00:16:13,740 --> 00:16:16,180 it can ill afford to lose any of its leaves. 161 00:16:19,940 --> 00:16:22,220 CRUNCHING AND SLICING 162 00:16:34,860 --> 00:16:38,700 Between them, the ants can demolish a large leaf 163 00:16:38,700 --> 00:16:40,300 in a matter of minutes. 164 00:16:46,100 --> 00:16:50,060 The sound of cutting attracts more ants. 165 00:17:02,060 --> 00:17:05,580 Now the pieces are carried back to the underground fungus. 166 00:17:13,180 --> 00:17:16,460 The ants can run at speeds of two metres a minute. 167 00:17:21,340 --> 00:17:24,740 And each can carry a load ten times its own weight. 168 00:17:39,420 --> 00:17:42,260 It's a river of leaves across the jungle floor... 169 00:17:45,140 --> 00:17:49,060 ..part of a vast network that extends for miles 170 00:17:49,060 --> 00:17:50,380 through the forest. 171 00:17:59,460 --> 00:18:01,180 To avoid congestion, 172 00:18:01,180 --> 00:18:04,020 worker ants dig trenches around obstacles. 173 00:18:32,340 --> 00:18:35,060 Thousands of pieces are delivered every hour 174 00:18:35,060 --> 00:18:36,700 to the waiting fungus. 175 00:18:49,100 --> 00:18:51,820 Fed by such a continuous supply, 176 00:18:51,820 --> 00:18:53,780 the fungus grows rapidly, 177 00:18:53,780 --> 00:18:56,500 filling the chambers in which it lives... 178 00:18:59,460 --> 00:19:02,900 ..so, the ants excavate more space. 179 00:19:06,780 --> 00:19:09,460 It seems that the fungus has the upper hand... 180 00:19:11,740 --> 00:19:15,260 ..and the bixa tree will not survive. 181 00:19:20,340 --> 00:19:22,180 But it fights back... 182 00:19:24,700 --> 00:19:27,460 ..using chemical warfare. 183 00:19:29,940 --> 00:19:33,580 The bixa tree floods its leaves with toxins 184 00:19:33,580 --> 00:19:36,700 that could kill the distant fungus. 185 00:19:38,340 --> 00:19:42,220 As the ants carry the fragments back, they are themselves 186 00:19:42,220 --> 00:19:44,740 poisoning the fungus on the tree's behalf. 187 00:19:50,620 --> 00:19:52,660 It's a long-distance attack. 188 00:20:00,420 --> 00:20:03,780 As the poison takes effect, the ants sense 189 00:20:03,780 --> 00:20:05,700 that their fungus is weakening... 190 00:20:16,660 --> 00:20:19,100 ..and they respond to its signals 191 00:20:19,100 --> 00:20:22,100 by changing to another source of leaves. 192 00:20:26,820 --> 00:20:29,260 So, the plant's chemical response 193 00:20:29,260 --> 00:20:35,300 forces the ants to constantly switch from tree to tree. 194 00:20:39,580 --> 00:20:42,300 Strike and counterstrike. 195 00:20:45,420 --> 00:20:49,540 And that ensures that enough leaves remain uneaten 196 00:20:49,540 --> 00:20:51,980 for each tree to recover. 197 00:20:58,700 --> 00:21:02,340 BIRDS AND ANIMALS CALL 198 00:21:07,860 --> 00:21:10,260 Once a plant becomes adult, 199 00:21:10,260 --> 00:21:12,300 it can switch its energies 200 00:21:12,300 --> 00:21:15,100 from growth to reproduction. 201 00:21:20,860 --> 00:21:25,100 The tropical forests of the Americas stretch from Mexico 202 00:21:25,100 --> 00:21:27,140 to the southern reaches of the Amazon. 203 00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:34,700 They contain more than 100,000 different species of plants, 204 00:21:34,700 --> 00:21:38,300 each with its own particular survival strategy. 205 00:21:40,580 --> 00:21:45,220 One species that has adopted a grow-fast lifestyle 206 00:21:45,220 --> 00:21:48,420 flourishes throughout this vast region. 207 00:21:51,100 --> 00:21:52,500 The balsa. 208 00:21:54,380 --> 00:21:57,620 But it has to pay a high price for doing so. 209 00:21:57,620 --> 00:22:00,460 The lightweight wood that enables it 210 00:22:00,460 --> 00:22:03,060 to grow at such speed is not strong 211 00:22:03,060 --> 00:22:04,900 and is easily broken. 212 00:22:06,740 --> 00:22:09,780 Few balsas live longer than 20 years. 213 00:22:12,060 --> 00:22:15,500 This one is approaching the end of its brief life, 214 00:22:15,500 --> 00:22:19,420 so, the time has come for it to reproduce. 215 00:22:25,420 --> 00:22:29,300 It has used a huge amount of energy to produce 216 00:22:29,300 --> 00:22:32,540 some of the most extravagant flowers in the forest, 217 00:22:32,540 --> 00:22:34,380 in immense numbers. 218 00:22:43,380 --> 00:22:46,740 Each is the size of a human hand. 219 00:22:52,220 --> 00:22:54,100 As night falls, 220 00:22:54,100 --> 00:22:56,300 the tree prepares an enticing treat. 221 00:23:04,820 --> 00:23:07,660 This is a kinkajou, 222 00:23:07,660 --> 00:23:10,100 a kind of fruit-eating racoon. 223 00:23:15,460 --> 00:23:19,020 Each flower is filled with huge quantities 224 00:23:19,020 --> 00:23:21,820 of exceptionally rich nectar, 225 00:23:21,820 --> 00:23:23,700 supercharged with sugar. 226 00:23:32,380 --> 00:23:34,500 Irresistible! 227 00:23:42,700 --> 00:23:45,460 The kinkajous drink so greedily 228 00:23:45,460 --> 00:23:48,700 that they get pollen all over their faces. 229 00:23:51,380 --> 00:23:54,220 So, as they move from tree to tree, 230 00:23:54,220 --> 00:23:56,260 they carry pollen with them. 231 00:24:03,780 --> 00:24:06,940 But the balsa leaves little to chance. 232 00:24:07,980 --> 00:24:10,660 The nectar might appear to have run out, 233 00:24:10,660 --> 00:24:12,900 but this is just the first round. 234 00:24:14,140 --> 00:24:17,860 Now the balsa refills its flowers, 235 00:24:17,860 --> 00:24:21,820 enticing the kinkajous back to repeat the process... 236 00:24:21,820 --> 00:24:23,580 ..seven times a night. 237 00:24:25,740 --> 00:24:27,940 Pollination is complete. 238 00:24:32,460 --> 00:24:35,980 And the kinkajous - they also get well served, 239 00:24:35,980 --> 00:24:39,340 with over 100 pints of nectar in just a few weeks. 240 00:24:44,420 --> 00:24:48,420 Both plant and animal do well out of this arrangement. 241 00:24:51,220 --> 00:24:55,540 But in the tropical world, that isn't always so. 242 00:24:55,540 --> 00:24:57,580 BIRDS AND ANIMALS CALL 243 00:25:01,180 --> 00:25:02,580 Borneo. 244 00:25:07,540 --> 00:25:10,780 Here, on the slopes of Mount Kinabalu, 245 00:25:10,780 --> 00:25:13,980 live plants that eat animals 246 00:25:13,980 --> 00:25:16,860 using pitcher-shaped leaves full of water. 247 00:25:26,300 --> 00:25:29,700 Insects are attracted by the expectation of nectar, 248 00:25:29,700 --> 00:25:32,340 but tumble into the pitcher, 249 00:25:32,340 --> 00:25:35,540 where they are drowned and absorbed. 250 00:25:40,700 --> 00:25:43,180 On the lower slopes of the mountain, 251 00:25:43,180 --> 00:25:45,900 a plant grows that has no leaves at all. 252 00:25:47,380 --> 00:25:49,020 Or even a stem. 253 00:25:51,380 --> 00:25:54,420 All that can be seen is this - 254 00:25:54,420 --> 00:25:55,820 a bud. 255 00:26:02,980 --> 00:26:04,780 It is a parasite. 256 00:26:04,780 --> 00:26:06,620 RUSTLING 257 00:26:12,980 --> 00:26:18,020 The rest of its body lies within the tissues of a liana, 258 00:26:18,020 --> 00:26:19,780 on which it feeds. 259 00:26:24,140 --> 00:26:26,340 After about five years, 260 00:26:26,340 --> 00:26:30,940 the bud finally opens into a monstrous flower. 261 00:26:33,460 --> 00:26:37,700 It now has only a day or so in which to be pollinated 262 00:26:37,700 --> 00:26:39,940 before it starts to wither. 263 00:26:42,300 --> 00:26:44,980 Its petals are the colour of blood. 264 00:26:47,420 --> 00:26:50,100 Their surface is tough and warty. 265 00:26:55,820 --> 00:26:57,660 It appears to have fur. 266 00:27:01,220 --> 00:27:03,500 Even whiskers and teeth. 267 00:27:08,780 --> 00:27:11,900 At first sight, it might be mistaken for a dead animal. 268 00:27:14,700 --> 00:27:18,100 This is rafflesia, the corpse flower. 269 00:27:23,340 --> 00:27:26,460 A metre across, it's the world's biggest flower. 270 00:27:30,500 --> 00:27:32,340 And this one is a male. 271 00:27:35,900 --> 00:27:39,940 From its centre comes the pungent odour of death. 272 00:27:47,980 --> 00:27:51,580 It's a scent that might not appeal to every animal. 273 00:27:57,780 --> 00:28:00,380 But it's very attractive to carrion flies. 274 00:28:03,260 --> 00:28:05,860 They lay their eggs on rotting flesh. 275 00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:12,340 FLIES BUZZ 276 00:28:19,300 --> 00:28:22,740 The scent lures the fly deep into the flower 277 00:28:22,740 --> 00:28:24,740 in search of meat. 278 00:28:30,780 --> 00:28:33,700 The fly finds nothing. 279 00:28:33,700 --> 00:28:37,780 The rafflesia, however, has the fly exactly where it wants it. 280 00:28:42,380 --> 00:28:44,900 It's stuck pollen to the fly's back. 281 00:28:57,980 --> 00:29:01,340 If this male rafflesia's strategy is to work, 282 00:29:01,340 --> 00:29:04,140 the fly carrying its pollen must now visit 283 00:29:04,140 --> 00:29:05,780 a female corpse flower... 284 00:29:10,860 --> 00:29:12,620 ..such as this one. 285 00:29:21,900 --> 00:29:23,660 FLY BUZZES 286 00:29:23,660 --> 00:29:25,100 Success! 287 00:29:42,340 --> 00:29:45,940 Once pollinated, plants are able to produce seeds, 288 00:29:45,940 --> 00:29:48,060 the next generation, 289 00:29:48,060 --> 00:29:51,940 but once again, there are animals all over the forest 290 00:29:51,940 --> 00:29:54,140 that are eager to make a meal of them. 291 00:29:55,580 --> 00:29:57,980 BIRDS CALL 292 00:30:09,900 --> 00:30:12,420 The Malay Archipelago, 293 00:30:12,420 --> 00:30:15,820 a vast tropical world of 1,000 islands. 294 00:30:24,580 --> 00:30:27,780 It's home to giants - 295 00:30:27,780 --> 00:30:30,420 the tallest trees in the tropics, 296 00:30:30,420 --> 00:30:33,020 many of which live for centuries. 297 00:30:38,380 --> 00:30:41,500 They produce seeds in enormous numbers, 298 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:43,980 but only do so when the time is right. 299 00:30:47,820 --> 00:30:51,220 This individual hasn't produced a single seed 300 00:30:51,220 --> 00:30:53,060 for nearly a decade, 301 00:30:53,060 --> 00:30:56,300 but in the last weeks, it has become festooned 302 00:30:56,300 --> 00:30:58,300 with more than 10,000 of them. 303 00:31:02,820 --> 00:31:06,300 Each seed has the potential to produce a giant, 304 00:31:06,300 --> 00:31:08,020 like its parent. 305 00:31:15,300 --> 00:31:17,100 But success will depend... 306 00:31:18,820 --> 00:31:20,300 ..on timing. 307 00:31:32,660 --> 00:31:34,180 SNORTS 308 00:31:34,180 --> 00:31:35,980 Seed-hunters are gathering. 309 00:31:40,100 --> 00:31:41,620 Bearded pigs. 310 00:31:43,100 --> 00:31:45,060 GRUNTS 311 00:31:49,980 --> 00:31:53,700 But these seeds have been produced by a dipterocarp... 312 00:31:56,700 --> 00:31:59,060 ..trees that create the tropical world's 313 00:31:59,060 --> 00:32:00,740 largest seed nursery. 314 00:32:07,340 --> 00:32:09,460 After years of waiting, 315 00:32:09,460 --> 00:32:12,820 thousands upon thousands of individual dipterocarps 316 00:32:12,820 --> 00:32:15,900 have synchronised to produce the next generation, 317 00:32:15,900 --> 00:32:17,940 all at exactly the same time. 318 00:32:32,460 --> 00:32:34,540 BIRDS CALL 319 00:32:37,060 --> 00:32:40,700 And now these seeds will face the dangers below together. 320 00:33:27,420 --> 00:33:31,500 By releasing billions of seeds all at the same time, 321 00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:34,780 they swamp the pigs and any other animals 322 00:33:34,780 --> 00:33:36,980 with more than they could possibly eat. 323 00:33:58,740 --> 00:34:03,740 And that buys time for some of the seeds to take root 324 00:34:03,740 --> 00:34:05,580 and sprout. 325 00:34:05,580 --> 00:34:07,220 CRACKLING 326 00:34:31,180 --> 00:34:34,660 The tree's strategy has worked. 327 00:34:34,660 --> 00:34:38,740 But a seedling will have to overcome many more dangers 328 00:34:38,740 --> 00:34:42,180 over the years if it, too, is to become a giant. 329 00:34:48,900 --> 00:34:51,940 And there are many ways in a tropical forest 330 00:34:51,940 --> 00:34:54,340 by which a tree's life can be ended 331 00:34:54,340 --> 00:34:56,780 before it reaches its prime. 332 00:35:01,100 --> 00:35:03,380 The northernmost tip of Australia. 333 00:35:07,180 --> 00:35:10,620 This is the world's most ancient rainforest. 334 00:35:10,620 --> 00:35:13,420 BIRDS AND ANIMALS CALL 335 00:35:13,420 --> 00:35:15,700 LOW GRUNTS 336 00:35:28,300 --> 00:35:31,100 Battles between animals and plants 337 00:35:31,100 --> 00:35:34,860 have raged here for 180 million years. 338 00:35:36,820 --> 00:35:39,820 LOW CREAKING 339 00:35:42,100 --> 00:35:45,940 So, the plants have had time to develop effective defences. 340 00:35:48,620 --> 00:35:51,620 This is a poison arrow tree, 341 00:35:51,620 --> 00:35:55,020 one of the tropical world's most heavily defended plants. 342 00:35:58,940 --> 00:36:01,580 Its trunk is tall and slippery 343 00:36:01,580 --> 00:36:03,420 and exudes a poisonous sap. 344 00:36:08,700 --> 00:36:11,220 It appears to be almost invulnerable. 345 00:36:17,660 --> 00:36:19,340 But even so, 346 00:36:19,340 --> 00:36:22,380 just as this individual reaches maturity, 347 00:36:22,380 --> 00:36:24,580 its life has become endangered. 348 00:36:26,340 --> 00:36:28,500 BIRDS TWEET 349 00:36:30,220 --> 00:36:32,060 Each monsoon season, 350 00:36:32,060 --> 00:36:34,780 it is invaded from above. 351 00:36:41,220 --> 00:36:44,220 It attracts hundreds of shining starlings. 352 00:36:47,940 --> 00:36:51,940 Its immense smooth trunk makes its high branches above 353 00:36:51,940 --> 00:36:54,460 a safe place to nest, 354 00:36:54,460 --> 00:36:56,220 but over the years, 355 00:36:56,220 --> 00:36:58,660 this has created a major problem for the tree. 356 00:37:03,940 --> 00:37:06,820 After feeding, the starlings return to the nest 357 00:37:06,820 --> 00:37:08,900 to digest their food, 358 00:37:08,900 --> 00:37:11,580 with inevitable consequences. 359 00:37:16,860 --> 00:37:18,420 Every year, 360 00:37:18,420 --> 00:37:22,420 they produce almost a quarter of a ton of droppings. 361 00:37:25,580 --> 00:37:27,900 The toxic chemicals they contain 362 00:37:27,900 --> 00:37:31,140 create a dead zone that completely surrounds the tree. 363 00:37:38,900 --> 00:37:41,940 The toxins are absorbed by its roots 364 00:37:41,940 --> 00:37:45,300 and travel up through the trunk and into every leaf. 365 00:37:47,020 --> 00:37:49,220 CRASHING 366 00:38:00,700 --> 00:38:03,460 Branch by branch, 367 00:38:03,460 --> 00:38:06,100 the tree is slowly dying. 368 00:38:09,380 --> 00:38:12,580 It has become a victim of its own success. 369 00:38:14,500 --> 00:38:16,220 It has been poisoned. 370 00:38:23,780 --> 00:38:26,260 Now a new battle begins... 371 00:38:28,820 --> 00:38:31,500 ..one to claim the tree's dead body 372 00:38:31,500 --> 00:38:34,940 and the vast amount of nutrients that it contains. 373 00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:39,820 It's a battle that is fought throughout the natural world... 374 00:38:41,060 --> 00:38:43,100 ..involving a group of organisms 375 00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:44,700 that we rarely notice. 376 00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:50,780 Here, on the floor of a tropical rainforest, 377 00:38:50,780 --> 00:38:53,620 it's dark, it's humid 378 00:38:53,620 --> 00:38:55,260 and it's hot - 379 00:38:55,260 --> 00:38:58,740 ideal conditions for fungi. 380 00:38:58,740 --> 00:39:02,620 We normally think of fungi as things like this. 381 00:39:02,620 --> 00:39:05,060 Mushrooms of one kind or another. 382 00:39:05,060 --> 00:39:07,420 But these are just the fruiting bodies. 383 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:12,580 They exist for most of the time 384 00:39:12,580 --> 00:39:15,180 hidden in the leaf litter and the earth 385 00:39:15,180 --> 00:39:17,460 as a network of fine white threads. 386 00:39:19,860 --> 00:39:24,420 The threads of competing fungi envelop their victim's body, 387 00:39:24,420 --> 00:39:28,140 releasing enzymes which digest the tree's tissues 388 00:39:28,140 --> 00:39:30,620 and unlock the nutrients within. 389 00:39:33,300 --> 00:39:36,780 There a million or so different species of fungi 390 00:39:36,780 --> 00:39:39,140 in the tropics. 391 00:39:39,140 --> 00:39:42,380 Some feed on dead plants. 392 00:39:42,380 --> 00:39:44,020 Others eat them alive. 393 00:39:45,660 --> 00:39:50,140 And some reveal their existence in an eerily beautiful way. 394 00:40:00,340 --> 00:40:02,580 In Africa, in the Congo, 395 00:40:02,580 --> 00:40:05,380 this is known as chimpanzee fire. 396 00:40:11,260 --> 00:40:14,260 The mysterious bioluminescent glow 397 00:40:14,260 --> 00:40:17,740 becomes brighter as the fungus digests the tree. 398 00:40:23,220 --> 00:40:25,580 When fungi have fed sufficiently, 399 00:40:25,580 --> 00:40:27,860 they develop their reproductive organs. 400 00:40:57,340 --> 00:41:01,420 Each can produce literally billions of spores... 401 00:41:03,620 --> 00:41:05,300 ..the tiny particles 402 00:41:05,300 --> 00:41:07,500 that carry the species' genetic blueprint. 403 00:41:10,540 --> 00:41:12,420 Each spore like this 404 00:41:12,420 --> 00:41:14,940 has the potential to kill a tree. 405 00:41:18,540 --> 00:41:21,060 SPORES RUSTLE 406 00:41:37,900 --> 00:41:39,700 The spores are so light 407 00:41:39,700 --> 00:41:42,260 they can be carried by the slightest air currents. 408 00:41:51,980 --> 00:41:53,860 At least a billion 409 00:41:53,860 --> 00:41:56,780 float above every square metre of rainforest. 410 00:42:06,820 --> 00:42:09,900 Recently, it has been discovered that these spores 411 00:42:09,900 --> 00:42:13,300 do far more than just bring death and decay. 412 00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:19,220 They are, in fact, at the very centre 413 00:42:19,220 --> 00:42:21,740 of the rainforest's life support system. 414 00:42:25,300 --> 00:42:27,300 WIND WHISTLES 415 00:42:29,940 --> 00:42:31,740 High in the humid air, 416 00:42:31,740 --> 00:42:34,500 the spores combine with molecules of water. 417 00:42:36,300 --> 00:42:38,300 RUMBLING 418 00:42:48,500 --> 00:42:51,340 Gradually, they collect into droplets, 419 00:42:51,340 --> 00:42:54,500 which, when they are heavy enough, fall... 420 00:42:54,500 --> 00:42:56,980 THUNDER CRACKS 421 00:42:56,980 --> 00:42:58,420 ..as rain. 422 00:43:37,780 --> 00:43:41,580 Over two-and-a-half metres of rain falls every year 423 00:43:41,580 --> 00:43:43,340 in a rainforest. 424 00:43:50,660 --> 00:43:54,060 And in the centre of almost every raindrop, 425 00:43:54,060 --> 00:43:55,900 there is a fungal spore. 426 00:44:11,380 --> 00:44:14,580 The world's rainforests are the richest 427 00:44:14,580 --> 00:44:17,660 and most dynamic environments on Earth, 428 00:44:17,660 --> 00:44:21,460 built on complex connections and relationships. 429 00:44:21,460 --> 00:44:23,860 BIRDS SQUAWK 430 00:44:25,340 --> 00:44:27,380 But these connections, 431 00:44:27,380 --> 00:44:30,020 competitive or collaborative, 432 00:44:30,020 --> 00:44:32,500 are now becoming increasingly fragile. 433 00:44:34,860 --> 00:44:37,740 THUNDER RUMBLES 434 00:44:41,820 --> 00:44:43,820 THUNDER CRASHES 435 00:44:48,540 --> 00:44:52,780 When Charles Darwin was exploring the tropical world 436 00:44:52,780 --> 00:44:55,020 nearly 200 years ago, 437 00:44:55,020 --> 00:44:58,220 he wrote this in his diary. 438 00:44:58,220 --> 00:45:02,860 "Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, 439 00:45:02,860 --> 00:45:06,260 "none exceed in sublimity 440 00:45:06,260 --> 00:45:11,500 "the primeval forests undefaced by the hand of man." 441 00:45:13,300 --> 00:45:16,100 He would struggle to find such a place today. 442 00:45:31,180 --> 00:45:35,820 Today, 70% of all the world's rainforest plants 443 00:45:35,820 --> 00:45:39,020 grow within a mile of a road or a clearing 444 00:45:39,020 --> 00:45:42,180 that we have cut into the forest... 445 00:45:45,660 --> 00:45:48,820 ..and this is creating new battlefields 446 00:45:48,820 --> 00:45:50,500 in the tropical world. 447 00:45:52,780 --> 00:45:56,380 Alien armies of identical cultivated plants 448 00:45:56,380 --> 00:46:00,220 now stand where thousands of different species once grew. 449 00:46:09,180 --> 00:46:12,220 We have planted vast regiments of crops 450 00:46:12,220 --> 00:46:14,860 in order to provide ourselves 451 00:46:14,860 --> 00:46:17,060 with food and other commodities... 452 00:46:19,140 --> 00:46:21,740 ..and the ancient forest has been reduced 453 00:46:21,740 --> 00:46:24,380 to ever fewer isolated fragments. 454 00:46:29,020 --> 00:46:30,860 All, however, is not lost. 455 00:46:32,540 --> 00:46:35,580 The fragments can still be sanctuaries, 456 00:46:35,580 --> 00:46:38,740 keeping alive the intimate relationships within them. 457 00:46:41,260 --> 00:46:44,260 Their size is nonetheless critical. 458 00:46:53,660 --> 00:46:56,660 This is the seven-hour flower. 459 00:47:08,060 --> 00:47:11,700 This plant produces its flowers at night. 460 00:47:11,700 --> 00:47:14,500 They open about six o'clock, 461 00:47:14,500 --> 00:47:19,060 and each blossom only lasts that night. 462 00:47:19,060 --> 00:47:21,700 It opens for about seven hours 463 00:47:21,700 --> 00:47:24,260 and then it dies. 464 00:47:24,260 --> 00:47:26,740 But during that time, it provides food 465 00:47:26,740 --> 00:47:28,500 for one particular animal. 466 00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:31,380 SOFTLY A bat. 467 00:47:31,380 --> 00:47:32,820 And here it is! 468 00:47:45,420 --> 00:47:47,860 CHUCKLES 469 00:47:51,540 --> 00:47:54,500 During the seven-hour flower's flowering season... 470 00:47:56,220 --> 00:47:59,620 ..Underwood's bat feeds almost exclusively on its nectar. 471 00:48:01,700 --> 00:48:04,300 It is the plant's primary pollinator. 472 00:48:08,780 --> 00:48:11,020 It might seem that this is 473 00:48:11,020 --> 00:48:13,860 a fairly evenly balanced relationship, 474 00:48:13,860 --> 00:48:15,220 but not so. 475 00:48:16,580 --> 00:48:20,740 The bat likes this nectar because it's sweet, 476 00:48:20,740 --> 00:48:24,260 but it's not very nourishing. 477 00:48:24,260 --> 00:48:27,060 So the bat must visit hundreds of flowers a night... 478 00:48:30,140 --> 00:48:32,260 ..and it pollinates them as if feeds. 479 00:48:40,100 --> 00:48:43,500 But if a patch of forest becomes too small, 480 00:48:43,500 --> 00:48:45,380 with too few flowers, 481 00:48:45,380 --> 00:48:47,620 the bats will disappear, 482 00:48:47,620 --> 00:48:50,980 and without the bats, the flowers can't reproduce 483 00:48:50,980 --> 00:48:52,620 and will soon die out. 484 00:48:55,100 --> 00:48:56,740 The partnership is broken. 485 00:49:07,300 --> 00:49:11,780 Life in the forest depends on countless close relationships, 486 00:49:11,780 --> 00:49:14,420 but they are increasingly under threat 487 00:49:14,420 --> 00:49:18,060 as forests become more fragmented. 488 00:49:18,060 --> 00:49:19,700 The solution, of course, 489 00:49:19,700 --> 00:49:22,300 is to join these remaining fragments together again. 490 00:49:23,580 --> 00:49:26,700 30 years ago, I came to this exact spot. 491 00:49:28,580 --> 00:49:30,460 This land belonged to 492 00:49:30,460 --> 00:49:32,500 a scientific research establishment 493 00:49:32,500 --> 00:49:36,180 and it was covered with grass being grazed by cattle. 494 00:49:36,180 --> 00:49:39,220 The scientists got rid of the cattle 495 00:49:39,220 --> 00:49:42,460 and allowed nature to take its course. 496 00:49:42,460 --> 00:49:44,260 Just look at it now! 497 00:49:53,620 --> 00:49:56,500 This new forest has become a bridge 498 00:49:56,500 --> 00:49:59,540 that connects several fragments, 499 00:49:59,540 --> 00:50:03,940 allowing plants and animals to both renew old connections 500 00:50:03,940 --> 00:50:05,780 and create fresh ones. 501 00:50:17,580 --> 00:50:21,020 Of course, we urgently need to protect 502 00:50:21,020 --> 00:50:23,220 what healthy forests still remain. 503 00:50:27,740 --> 00:50:29,380 But looking forward, 504 00:50:29,380 --> 00:50:32,700 we must take what may well be our last chance 505 00:50:32,700 --> 00:50:35,220 to re-establish the lost rainforest... 506 00:50:39,140 --> 00:50:42,780 ..and help the tropical world to heal itself. 507 00:50:45,660 --> 00:50:50,220 It will take the co-operation of nations around the world, 508 00:50:50,220 --> 00:50:53,540 but it is the only way in which we'll be able to 509 00:50:53,540 --> 00:50:56,980 preserve the treasures of the tropical rainforest 510 00:50:56,980 --> 00:50:59,180 for future generations. 511 00:50:59,180 --> 00:51:01,260 And with it, 512 00:51:01,260 --> 00:51:04,900 ultimately protect all life on this, 513 00:51:04,900 --> 00:51:07,660 our green planet. 514 00:51:23,820 --> 00:51:27,460 The aim of The Green Planet team was to take the viewer 515 00:51:27,460 --> 00:51:30,300 into the world of plants, so that it could be seen 516 00:51:30,300 --> 00:51:32,140 from the plants' perspective 517 00:51:32,140 --> 00:51:34,260 in a way that had not been possible till now. 518 00:51:36,620 --> 00:51:39,620 That meant developing an entirely new camera system. 519 00:51:46,220 --> 00:51:49,220 And this is the game-changer - 520 00:51:49,220 --> 00:51:52,260 a specially designed robot camera 521 00:51:52,260 --> 00:51:54,740 that we affectionately call "the Triffid". 522 00:51:59,820 --> 00:52:02,980 The Triffid started life in the garage of an American 523 00:52:02,980 --> 00:52:05,660 ex-military engineer, Chris Field. 524 00:52:05,660 --> 00:52:07,260 I'd seen quite a few of these 525 00:52:07,260 --> 00:52:09,460 Planet Earth style documentaries, 526 00:52:09,460 --> 00:52:11,300 and they always absolutely blew my mind, 527 00:52:11,300 --> 00:52:14,580 especially the botanic time-lapse really spoke to me. 528 00:52:14,580 --> 00:52:17,460 In his spare time, Chris spent a decade 529 00:52:17,460 --> 00:52:19,860 building elaborate motion-controlled 530 00:52:19,860 --> 00:52:22,100 time-lapse camera rigs 531 00:52:22,100 --> 00:52:25,700 and teaching himself how to film plants. 532 00:52:25,700 --> 00:52:29,580 Plants often behave like animals in so many ways, 533 00:52:29,580 --> 00:52:32,260 and being able to see it through time-lapse is one thing 534 00:52:32,260 --> 00:52:35,380 but using the motion-control brings you into that timescale. 535 00:52:40,140 --> 00:52:42,300 We could really see the potential 536 00:52:42,300 --> 00:52:44,260 in how we could use this sort of movement 537 00:52:44,260 --> 00:52:46,300 to bring plants alive 538 00:52:46,300 --> 00:52:48,700 and film them in the same way that we film animals. 539 00:52:50,940 --> 00:52:52,980 Soon, Chris joins the team 540 00:52:52,980 --> 00:52:55,540 in a quiet corner of the Devon countryside 541 00:52:55,540 --> 00:52:58,420 and the robot army begins to take shape. 542 00:52:58,420 --> 00:53:00,300 WHIRRING 543 00:53:00,300 --> 00:53:02,820 After 40 years of filming time-lapse, 544 00:53:02,820 --> 00:53:06,140 these rigs have opened up a whole new world for us. 545 00:53:07,420 --> 00:53:10,540 So, it'll be like hovering around something 546 00:53:10,540 --> 00:53:13,140 with a drone or helicopter, but in a time-lapse speed. 547 00:53:15,340 --> 00:53:18,780 The holy grail for us is being able to take this technology 548 00:53:18,780 --> 00:53:22,180 out into the wild, try and get the same sorts of dynamic moves 549 00:53:22,180 --> 00:53:24,820 in some of the most extreme environments in the world. 550 00:53:27,500 --> 00:53:28,940 So, what we needed to do 551 00:53:28,940 --> 00:53:32,020 was to develop this technology even further. 552 00:53:32,020 --> 00:53:34,420 Six months later, the Triffid is born... 553 00:53:37,260 --> 00:53:42,100 ..and with slight trepidation, they hand me the controls. 554 00:53:42,100 --> 00:53:44,980 That makes it go away. 555 00:53:44,980 --> 00:53:47,780 And this makes it come back. 556 00:53:47,780 --> 00:53:50,460 And this sends it up. 557 00:53:53,900 --> 00:53:55,100 Ooh! 558 00:53:55,100 --> 00:53:56,380 CHUCKLES 559 00:53:56,380 --> 00:53:59,060 I think I'd better hand it over to the experts. 560 00:53:59,060 --> 00:54:01,220 CHUCKLES 561 00:54:01,220 --> 00:54:03,780 Now it's time to put this new member of the team 562 00:54:03,780 --> 00:54:05,500 properly through its paces. 563 00:54:06,700 --> 00:54:08,140 WHIRRING 564 00:54:08,140 --> 00:54:10,980 The aim here is for Ollie to find a target, aim for it 565 00:54:10,980 --> 00:54:13,420 and fly through it, as if he is a tiny fly 566 00:54:13,420 --> 00:54:15,820 going through a hole in a leaf. 567 00:54:15,820 --> 00:54:18,100 Easier said than done. 568 00:54:18,100 --> 00:54:20,300 Oops! I'm trying to find a target. 569 00:54:21,980 --> 00:54:26,020 Whether the kit's going to stand up to that sort of use 570 00:54:26,020 --> 00:54:28,740 and the abuse that we throw at most pieces of kit 571 00:54:28,740 --> 00:54:30,300 has yet to be seen. 572 00:54:30,300 --> 00:54:33,900 In the studio, it seems to be working pretty well. 573 00:54:33,900 --> 00:54:36,460 But this is only a dress rehearsal. 574 00:54:36,460 --> 00:54:39,060 It's time for the Triffid to face the challenges 575 00:54:39,060 --> 00:54:41,540 of the Costa Rican rainforest, 576 00:54:41,540 --> 00:54:43,460 and leafcutter ants. 577 00:54:50,140 --> 00:54:53,420 We want to film their journey all the way 578 00:54:53,420 --> 00:54:56,860 down the trunk and along this buttress root 579 00:54:56,860 --> 00:54:58,300 and down to their nest. 580 00:55:00,140 --> 00:55:02,340 The team and the Triffid need several days 581 00:55:02,340 --> 00:55:03,900 of dry weather, 582 00:55:03,900 --> 00:55:06,420 but a storm can hit at any moment... 583 00:55:06,420 --> 00:55:07,660 THUNDER RUMBLES 584 00:55:07,660 --> 00:55:10,260 ..and rain is one thing the Triffid does not like. 585 00:55:12,700 --> 00:55:14,860 The conditions that we're working in now 586 00:55:14,860 --> 00:55:17,380 are a little bit more challenging than the studio. 587 00:55:19,220 --> 00:55:21,900 All the ground is really bumpy. 588 00:55:21,900 --> 00:55:23,860 We've got loads of plants in the way. 589 00:55:23,860 --> 00:55:26,140 I know we're making a series about plants, 590 00:55:26,140 --> 00:55:28,580 but sometimes they're a complete pain in the neck! 591 00:55:30,820 --> 00:55:33,260 The Triffid needs to be programmed 592 00:55:33,260 --> 00:55:36,980 to capture images from 7,000 different camera positions 593 00:55:36,980 --> 00:55:38,300 on the ants' trail. 594 00:55:40,820 --> 00:55:42,980 Just one drop of rain on the lens, 595 00:55:42,980 --> 00:55:44,220 or a wobble, 596 00:55:44,220 --> 00:55:47,380 and the whole process will have to start again. 597 00:55:47,380 --> 00:55:50,300 I think this is when we're going to find out 598 00:55:50,300 --> 00:55:52,740 if our ambition outweighs our ability. 599 00:55:56,500 --> 00:55:58,820 For the crew, the ambition is certainly high. 600 00:55:59,980 --> 00:56:02,300 RUSTLING 601 00:56:02,300 --> 00:56:05,140 Fortunately, it's all down to the Triffid now. 602 00:56:15,100 --> 00:56:18,300 We've been filming the ants with the Triffid 603 00:56:18,300 --> 00:56:21,900 for eight days now, and we're on our third set-up. 604 00:56:21,900 --> 00:56:23,860 It's pretty slow going. 605 00:56:25,060 --> 00:56:28,180 While the Triffid seems to be handling the pressure well, 606 00:56:28,180 --> 00:56:31,980 for the crew, trying to take a tree's-eye view of ants 607 00:56:31,980 --> 00:56:34,180 is turning into a bit of a nightmare. 608 00:56:36,140 --> 00:56:40,300 Wake up, film ants, go to sleep, dream of ants. 609 00:56:40,300 --> 00:56:43,340 Wake up, film ants, sleep, dream of ants. 610 00:56:43,340 --> 00:56:45,140 Wake up, film ants, 611 00:56:45,140 --> 00:56:47,780 go to sleep, dream of ants. 612 00:56:51,020 --> 00:56:52,900 After two weeks in the jungle, 613 00:56:52,900 --> 00:56:55,940 ambition and ability finally come together, 614 00:56:55,940 --> 00:56:58,220 for the Triffid, at least. 615 00:56:58,220 --> 00:57:01,020 Thousands of individual images 616 00:57:01,020 --> 00:57:03,420 creating a single extraordinary time-lapse... 617 00:57:06,300 --> 00:57:08,740 ..one that follows a river of leaves 618 00:57:08,740 --> 00:57:11,540 across the jungle floor from a unique perspective. 619 00:57:16,660 --> 00:57:19,260 For the Triffid, this was just the beginning. 620 00:57:21,900 --> 00:57:23,740 Take a bow, Triffid. 621 00:57:23,740 --> 00:57:25,620 WHIRRING 622 00:57:29,620 --> 00:57:32,460 Next time on The Green Planet... 623 00:57:32,460 --> 00:57:35,260 ..the wonder of water worlds... 624 00:57:37,540 --> 00:57:39,860 ..where plants hunt... 625 00:57:41,620 --> 00:57:43,260 ..go on the move... 626 00:57:44,580 --> 00:57:45,660 ..fight... 627 00:57:47,420 --> 00:57:49,540 ..and create the air we breathe. 628 00:57:52,620 --> 00:57:56,060 The Open University have produced a poster 629 00:57:56,060 --> 00:58:00,700 that explores the vital role that plants have for our planet. 630 00:58:00,700 --> 00:58:02,860 To order your free copy, call... 631 00:58:06,820 --> 00:58:08,100 ..or go to... 632 00:58:12,740 --> 00:58:15,460 ..and follow the links to The Open University.