Extraordinary Ecosystems | Go Wild

[Music] life has developed from simple life forms becoming more complex over billions of years despite the ability to survive in the most extreme environments plants and animals are now more and more rapidly becoming extinct we ourselves are causing this through our mindless exploitation of nature animals and plants live on all continents in all conceivable environments life has conquered the toughest challenges but one thing is necessary for all living [Music] organisms water it is essential for basic functions of the [Music] body plants and animals have an amazing ability to adapt when life conditions change now however humans have exploited nature and its resources to an extent never previously known there is no longer room for Nature's superheroes should we worry about all the knowledge and benefits of nature that are [Music] lost endless expanses sand dunes and Heat this is what one thinks of as a desert the world's oldest desert in Namibia 80 million years old 500 M High sand dunes the great challenge is the lack of water no water no life desert-like conditions occur in many places and Vary considerably species in dry and warm regions adapt to cope with the heat and to save water water evaporates when we breathe sweat and urinate many creatures are agile in the loose sand and are not scorched by the heat but such environments are hard to endure even for us humans a magician of the desert is a small Beetle which transforms into a living water tank it hardly ever Reigns along the coast of Namibia when the warm Desert Air meets the cold sea a Mist arises that drifts in over the desert the beetle climbs to the top of the Sand Dune racing its abdomen moisture condensates on its hard outer Wings into tiny drops of water which flow into its mouth Surplus water is stored in its body the namaka chameleon is the only desert chameleon in the world changing color and pattern makes it hard to see each eye moves independently of the other one eye on its enemies and one on its prey after a successful hunt it climbs up into a bush again avoiding the heat of the ground without a supply of small living water tanks the chameleon would not survive here long geographic isolation for 50 million years has resulted in a unique flora and FAA in Australia a mystical being lives in the desert surrounded by many [Music] myths its body is covered with sharp spikes protecting it from enemies but the Spikes have another perhaps more important [Music] function the molok the thorny devil needs [Music] water the moist night air condensates to small drops of water like on the spikes of plants the water runs down its back and is transported through superficial channels in the skin in to its mouth the molok can also draw in water through its feet which is then conveyed to its [Music] [Music] mouth large mammals move over extensive areas to find food and water the oric broad Hooves allow rapid movement in the loose desert [Music] sand the extra long legs of these elephants specific for Namibia Coastal desert serve the same [Music] purpose snakes move in different ways Often serpentining by bracing against uneven ground the scales on its abdomen are useful for climbing almost like feet in loose sand the snake has a special technique it rolls like a spiral spring side winding only a small part of the snake is touching the ground an advantage in hot desert sand Ping's Adder makes itself invisible and waits patiently for any passing [Music] prey [Music] [Music] the listed snowshoes were more efficient but the snake prepares for a new chance many sand dunes are very old with a wellestablished ecosystem of plants and animals there may be sensitive Lans in certain sand areas which take hundreds of years to reestablish Sandy Sea Shores are for example used by sea turtles for laying eggs females come back to lay their eggs on the shore where they themselves once hatched having spent decades out in the ocean Shores where turtles lay their eggs are exploited to build hotels and seaside bars large scale tourism severely affects already threatened species we are violating the Lost remainder of an environment necessary for their survival the desert-like conditions can occur in places they are not expected when the kilometer thick glacial ice started to melt in northern Europe 15,000 years ago land that had been pressed down by the ice gradually rose out of the sea in the outer archipelago of scandinavia's southwest coast the Flat Rocks meet the sea the undulating granite rocks were smoothed into a solid sand desert by the ice not only is this a visual likeness conditions resemble a desert many Sun hours and little [Music] precipitation the weather is changeable animals and plants here have to cope with long periods of sun but storms too with salty water spraying over the islands Europe's smallest toad the natac toad lives here on the mainland It suffers from competitions from the larger Comon Toad the winning strategy of the N Jack is to endure harsh conditions which competitors cannot manage so well their method of reproduction is their means to success n Jacks made in Shallow Rock pools the sunshine warms the water and hastens the development of eggs and tadpoles if there is no rain in Spring the water level diminishes rapidly and the new generation of n jaacks is lost spawning in temporary pools is risky but also an advantage fish and predatory insects that eat njac tadpoles cannot survive here the weather is unpredictable varying from year to year A reproduction strategy common to the whole population is precarious in such conditions but the N Jack has a long mating season from early May and well into the summer in the same population there is a mixture of females some laying eggs early and some late each year regardless of the weather some females are likely to be successful females who lost their young this season may be the winners next year in this way the system of early and late spawning in the population survives the NAT jaac toad wins against the [Music] elements the remainder of a tropical Coral roof is located in the middle of the Baltic Sea it was formed 400 million years ago when Sweden was situated by the equator the Bedrock consists largely of limestone remains of corals which have been smoothed into Flat Rocks but also shingle and sandy [Music] beaches this is Sweden's largest island [Music] gotland multiple shorelines were formed during the land race after the latest Ice Age Stone pillars rise out of the sea sea stacks the sea could not erode the hardcore of the coral reef the Bedrock along with abundant Sun hours and the isolated location resulted in a unique Flora and FAA many orchids are in flower during spring and early summer several plants grow here and nowhere else such as this gotland rock Rose another species endemic to gotland is the gotland grass snake which is a dwarf form one difference from the common grass snake is its pattering interestingly it lives close to the shore and hunts fish in the sea one of the world's most thick skinned and toughest creatures lives on the gotland alvor like a superhero it conceals almost supernatural abilities behind a quiet exterior they move slowly with their e clawed legs and plump bear-like body among some of them their mouths have transformed into razor sharp stilettos which they shoot out to pierce their prey few humans have seen them they are called water [Music] [Music] bears unprotected is space you would become unconscious due to the lack of oxygen you would be burnt by ultraviolet radiation despite the cold in space gamma and x-ray radiation would destroy your DNA if you're not a water bear of course in September 2007 the spacecraft Photon M3 took off from Kazakhstan with water bears aboard for 12 days the water bears were exposed to extreme conditions with high levels of ultraviolet and Cosmic radiation back home they showed no signs of having come to harm and after a while they produced healthy Offspring water bears are the Living Dead when conditions turn for the worse they draw in their eight legs which makes them look rather Barrel likee then they suspend life and lie dormant when the surrounding environment is more favorable again they poke out their legs and resume life possibly decades later here on the alow you can encounter water bears they live in the Moss water bears stand up to extreme stress suspending life drying out for decades and then coming back to life the most interesting point for us humans is perhaps that water bears can prevent damage to their DNA and they can repair their DNA this knowledge might help us develop valuable medication for treating cancer and aging [Music] Prime Evil forests are there any left if we mean forests that are not affected by humans well then there are no primeval forests left on our planet but there are still patches of ancient Woodland with valuable nature we call them natural forests as close to primeval forests as we can get traces of previously extensive subtropical rainforest Lael forest grow around the Mediterranean and on several ocean Islands a humid mixed forest with many broadleaf Evergreens and unique species one of Europe's oldest forests grows in Southeastern Poland in Bessa near the border to bellarus the European bison now lives in these Woods displaced by the land use of humans originally it lived on open grassland the European bison is one of the wild herbivores that spread throughout Europe after the latest Ice Age the last patches of natural forest in Europe are about to vanish along with their Rich biodiversity natural forests are replaced by forests for wood production an environment with the scarcity of species forests are filed and clearcut areas expand a drastic change for Forest species in Scandinavia forests started to grow when the glacial receded around 10,000 years [Music] ago along the mountains in the North of Sweden are several national parks some over 100 years [Music] old Pine Woods there are like primeval forests with many Fallen trees and no sign of human [Music] impact and old Majestic sprues that have stood here for hundreds of years higher up Mountain Birches takes over the higher you get the lower it grows above the tree line the creeping dwarf Birch is predominant more like a bush than a tree a Survivor like no other grows above the tree line Mountain sprues have an amazing ability to adapt to the harsh and severe climate here in periods of favorable weather it develops a stem with branches and Crown but growing into Tall Tree takes a lot of energy so during harsher times it changes strategy and becomes a creeping bush the oldest now living Spruce grows in fuel national park it is called Old Cho the actual tree is 5 m and only a few hundred years old but the root system is almost 10,000 years old and therefore the oldest known living tree in the world the key to success for old Cho is the ability to starve through hard times and then take the opportunity to grow when the climate permits the ability of trees to adapt their growth to the surroundings is striking when you compare creeping Juniper bushes growing in the hard Winds of the Coast with junipers that grow in sheltered places further Inland on the Baltic Islands pine trees fight against strong winds along the coast while the same species develops entirely differently when sheltered from the wind in the south of Scandinavia there are still decidious forests with high nature values and contagious areas of beach forests inter spared among these forests are remainders of the previously widespread open cultivated Landscapes with marshes shallow pools and ponds in such environments you can find creatures with fascinating adaptions such as the fire bellied toad to win the heart of the female the male needs to convince her that he is the best choice he charms her with his song using his whole body as a sound boox she swims around listening to the different songs a large male has a good bass voice signaling rapid growth and a long life which are excellent qualities the song helps the female to find a good father for her Young [Music] are there wondrous creatures are dragonflies most of their life they spent as a larvi nymphs in the bottom of a pond when the time is right the NPH nymph climbs up a stalk coming out of the water like a troll and sits in the sun in fairy tales a troll bursts in sunlight and evaporates Into Thin Air our ugly troll bursts along its back in the sunlight but turns into the most beautiful creature a champion flyer they are predators and with their large multifaceted eyes their eyesight surpasses that of all other insects each pair of wings can move independently of the other in face with each other or out of face their agility is outstanding dragon flies can hoover fly nimbly in different directions dive down and suddenly change direction the design of dragon flies is extremely interesting as a model for developing quiet energy efficient wind turbines and small pilotless aircraft plants and animals living in wetlands and pools often occur in small separate populations over the last 100 to 150 years we have lost 70 to 90% of all wetlands and ponds in southern Sweden when a habitat vanishes we also lose the species that live there populations of many Wetland species have diminished drastically or have already died out the most natural and undisturbed streams are found close to the mountains in the north unique and constantly moist environments are created near waterfalls the the character of the water course depends on the gradient of the landscape ground conditions and water volumes dead wood in the form of thick branches and trees in the water create new structures and habitats biodiversity increases when there is a greater variation of these structures fallen leaves are of considerable importance for the ecosystem in Shady nutrient deficient Waters influencing the number of fish produced there when autumn leaves fall into the water they decompose with the help of bacteria and fungi and are then further disintegrated by insect larvi which becomes food for larger predatory species that are staple food for salmonids A diversity of the most unlikely adaptions can be found in the Forest Waters many animals and plants can give us interesting insights no environment or way of life appears impossible for nature to master one of the threatened species most worthy of protection in Forest Waters is the Freshwater Pearl muscle it can become as old as 300 years and as the name implies sometimes contains pearls the fresh water Pearl muscle absorbs oxygen and Nutrition By pumping water through its body it is rather picky and only thrives in clean cold water on a bed of gravel and [Music] stone it moves around on its large foot and digs itself in where conditions are favorable it only lives where there is plenty of Trout the female produces a large number of larvi hoping that some will find a trout the muscles larvi attach themselves as parasites on the gills of Trout the muscles cannot breede without salmonids shoreside forests along streams is one of the most important factors for the interaction between trout and freshwat pearl muscles a leafy forest alongside running water provides shade and food for the trout in the form of fallen leaves and dragon flies by larvi Shor side forests also prevent sludge from affecting the rivered and the water quality the freshwat Pearl muscle is severely threatened with a main part of the European muscle population Sweden has a heavy responsibility in the conservation work many of the Swedish populations of the freshwat Pearl muscle are in in bad condition only a third are able to breed to thrive they need clean water a clean gravel riverbed and trout they are also sensitive to low pH levels forestry management has a major responsibility for the survival of the fresh water Pearl muscle a broad enough Shore zone of trees must be left Al long running water ground damage should be avoided particularly close to Brooks and streams to prevent pollution of sludge and leeching of mercury care is not always taken there are many examples of clear cutting and ground damage even close to running water protected for fresh water Pearl muscles most of us know that forests provide Timber firewood and raw material for paper but forests also service in other ways more difficult to put a prize on these benefits are not always evident but they are still invaluable the ground of forests functions as a filter cleaning our drinking water forests prevent ground damage caused by Heavy Rain or storms they are habitats for many species and contribute to the pollination of plants the role of forests as Regulators of the climate has become more noticed lately forests can come to be used in an entirely new way in the future when our economy is based on renewable products however relying more on Forest raw materials will make it more difficult to protect biodiversity a large part of Europe's valuable natural forests has been cut down and replaced by forests for wood production usually conifers with very little biodiversity large clearcut areas means a drastic change for many plants and animals when the local climate surface water and exposure to the sun are altered in an instant particularly affected are species living in Old trees decidious forests and those requiring large Woods untouched over a long time for example many kinds of lyans insects and birds with the loss of ancient forests we are deprived of known and an unknown species that might have solutions for our future problems and challenges on Earth tropical rainforests grow in a bter around the equator and are vital for our climate by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere they can help reduce global warming plants of the rainforest and algae of the world's oceans are the lungs of our planet producing most of the oxygen we need to breathe half of all Earth species live in rainforests even though these only cover 6 to 7% of the land [Music] mass the climate in a rainforest is stable and warm rainfall is regular and plentiful it can rain up to 10 times as much as in northern Europe the immense richness of species depends on the stable warm and moist conditions quite a few rainforest plants are part of our diet and many are included in various medicines there are frogs that produce strong poison or have an efficient antibacterial defense and even those that can regulate production of stomach acid these are species important for medical science this might be where we find the antibiotics of the future many species have supplied knowledge leading to valuable technology consequently it is worrying that we have lost more than half of our rainforests over the last 100 years large areas are burned to make space for production of soybean and palm oil or to become cattle ranchers the result is that many rainforest species are now threatened and hundreds are already extinct tropical rainforests have grown on Earth for 60 million years the long space of time along with a stable and warm climate and plenty of rain has led to a profusion of biodiversity and sometimes amazing adaptions appearances and behavior many species have developed camouflage to make them almost impossible to detect but some frogs do quite the opposite they make themselves visible by displaying strong colors and contrasting patterns their strategy is to tell the surroundings that attack is Risky Business and this is no empty threat the secret is the Frog eats insects which in turn have eaten poisonous plants poisonous molecules from the plants are transported in the Frog's body and stored in Poison glands in their skin giving the frog an efficient defense against any who dare to challenge them they are called poison dart frogs dart frogs are among the world's most poisonous creatures secretion from the skin of certain dart frogs can contain poison that is 200 times stronger than morphine it can be used in medication to relieve pain and to stimulate the heart [Music] [Music] we are heading for the rainforest of Queensland in northeastern Australia [Music] in these forests there is a snake that can hunt at night just as well as in daytime during the day it uses its eyes but at night it changes over to its thermal camera this is a diamond python with thermal sensors in Pockets along the sides of its mouth in the dark these help the snake to find its prey which may have only the slightest difference in body temperature from the surroundings a difference in less than a degree is enough for the snake with the point of its tongue tips it then fine tunes information about direction and distance these heat sensitive pockets of snakes were models for development of modern infrared technology for example in cameras and night vision [Music] binoculars in 1973 a small small slimy aquatic frog was found in Queensland in a rainforest stream it was completely unknown to science the Frog turned out to have a unique method of reproduction the young developed inside the female's stomach nothing like it had ever been seen among animals previously it was named gastric brooding frog it has supplied knowledge about regulation of hydrochloric acid production in the stomach resulting in some of our most important medication for stomach ulcers it has given many thousands of modern stressed people a better life but the latest observation of the gastric brooding frog was in 1985 lately a research team attempted to ReDiscover the frog that has one of the most remarkable adaptions ever seen in animal life the team flew far into the rainforest where no researches had previously been one Rainy Night the team awoke to a deafening sound hundreds of redyed tree frogs were calling on the mountain side near the tent the storm and rain had triggered the mating the large tree ferns give the feeling of being moved back into prehistory if any gastric brooding frogs are left this is where they would be [Music] the sad fact is that the only remaining gastric brooding frogs are here in a Cellar in a museum in Sydney it seems to have become extinct on Earth forever gone along with hundreds of other frog species and many other animals and plants this is where it lived in the rain Forest Inland from the Great Barrier Reef there is some comfort in having discovered the secret of the gastric bring frog this remarkable adaption before it died [Applause] out over millions of years Evolution has tested rejected de developed and refined adaptions among all living organisms in various environments on Earth only the most ingenious of solutions have survived but in whatever fantastic ways the world species appear to cope with change and to develop intricate ways of life there is still one major obstacle one species which is considered the most intelligent of all has ruthlessly claimed the right to use up more and more of the planets resources our most valuable natural environments with a high diversity of species are diminishing and are destroyed at a furious speed they are replaced by extensive monocultures with few species how how long are we going to accept such a destructive development which is affecting our own future existence to the highest degree what more is needed to open our eyes to save our biodiversity is not only one of the best decisions we can make it is a necessity for future sustainable life on Earth for us humans [Music] [Music] [Music]

Channel: Go Wild

Views: 43,992

Keywords: orf universum, documentary, blue chip, natural history, secrets of nature, planet earth, wildlife, free documentary, watch full documentary, nature films, wildlife films, go wild, nature, natura

Id: u421GqF_F64

Length: 52min 17sec (3137 seconds)

Published: Tue Jan 30 2024