The Sponges that live alongside the Coral Polyps capture and concentrate the nutrients from the waste matter of other creatures in the ecosystem of the coral reef.
A sponge like this one can pump five times its own volume of water through its feeding canal in just one minute! And a sponge, just 60 cm in length, can filter the equivalent of an Olympic-sized swimming pool in just five days!
A relationship between the Maned Wolf, the leaf-cutter ant and the Lobeira Fruit reveals how life survives in the nitrogen-starved El Cerrado.
These connections are not just important for the creatures concerned. Because of the way they move precious nitrogen around, they are crucial to the entire grassland ecosystems.
The rather unlikely benefit that the Spruce Moth Caterpillar, or Budworm, brings to the northern forests and the lynx population.
Now, the hares, essentially need these regenerating conifers and shelter. And of course what’s good for the hares is also good for the lynx. It’s such an elegant connection.
The value of nitrogen is amply demonstrated in the Australian Grassland where the Eastern Grey Kangaroo population has boomed following nitrogen fertiliser application.
It’s added once a month. It seeps into the soil, is quickly taken up by the roots and then converted to proteins for stronger healthier grass. Great for golf but perfect for the joey. The extra protein means that he can grow faster, become healthier and live longer and that’s the power of nitrogen.
The Apple Snail that lives in the wetlands of South America consumes and recycles dead and rotting vegetation, in large quantities, the ultimate recycler.
At one end of the wetland, the raging water from mountain streams is soaked up like a giant sponge. At the other, it’s released in a steady flow. In doing so, these wetlands ensure that the rivers and the animals downstream get a reliable supply of water.
The Agouti, a small rodent, plays a vital role in dispersing the seeds of the mighty Brazil nut tree. And an orchid and Euglossine bees, are also vital.
An example of the intrinsic and vital role individual species play in the game of life.
Chris Packam explores the diverse plants and animals that coexist on our living planet. He examines the, often fragile, relationships between species.
Many species rely on others to thrive, and the symbiosis of these relationships is the focus of this documentary.
Cordyceps are a mushroom containing the chemical cordycepin which Dr Cornelia de Moor is investigating for its cancer inhibiting properties.
At every stage of their life, fungi reveal just how much like us they are. It’s a powerful connection, that explains why we work so well together. So we are all much more mushroom than you could ever imagine.
The saprotrophic properties of fungi have immense potential in recycling chemical waste at many of the world’s industrial sites.
So what we’ve seen is certainly not in support of the idea that fungi are kind of protecting themselves from being eaten until mature, you could argue that that mushroom actually wants to be eaten, so what’s it all about?
Mycelium is the feeding apparatus of fungus and it is voracious in consuming organic waste but it has other marvellous properties in packaging.
The brilliant way the mycelium of a saprotrophic fungus uses digestive juices, just like humans, to break down waste makes it a recycling machine like no other. And it doesn’t stop there.
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