| Category | : Documentary | | Added on | : 25/01/2008 11:01:32 | | Added by | : heil | | Downloads | : 20 | | Archive password | : www.megapid.net | | Total size | : 723 MB | | Description | : |
Broadcast 21 December 2005, the final programme looks at
the superorganisms formed by bees, ants and termites. Attenborough reveals that their colonies, whose
individuals were once considered purely servile, are `full of conflict, power struggles and mutinies.` They
evolved when such creatures moved away from a solitary existence and started building nests side-by-side,
which led to a collective approach to caring for their young. There are about 20,000 species of bee, and a
queen bumblebee is shown starting a new nest. As it grows, the inhabitants all help to maintain it and bring
nectar and pollen. However, anarchy erupts when the queen starts to destroy eggs laid by her workers: she is
stung to death and the colony ends. Ants live in bigger societies, which can make them vulnerable, but
Attenborough goads a nest of wood ants into demonstrating their defence: formic acid. In Australia, a nest in
a mangrove swamp has to be continuously rearranged to escape the tides. Meanwhile, desert-dwelling harvester
ants block up nearby nests in an effort to maximise their food pickings. A bivouac of army ants is explored:
they prove to be one of those most regimented organisms, where the action of each individual is for the good
of the million-strong colony. Attenborough investigates magnetic termites, whose slab-like mounds are all
aligned to account for the movement of the sun. Finally, a full-scale battle between termites and matabele
ants is depicted in close-up.
|
|
Please sign in or sign up to see links.
