One of the other two films that I nominated was “Fresh Water”, which is the seventh episode of the Netflix original documentary series called “Our Planet”. The documentary film presents examples of how dependent organisms are on the abiotic elements of their environment e.g freshwater and oxygen. It also showcases examples of food chains (who eats whom in the wild)2, and the interactions between different species in ecosystems. With plants being at the base of food chains, it is important that there is enough freshwater for plants to utilise for their growth.
As shown in this documentary film, the role of plants in ecosystems is not limited to the provision of nutrients for herbivores. Plants are involved in the process that describes how water circulates in the earth’s atmosphere, ocean and terrestrial land, known as the hydrologic cycle.3 Around 20 billions tonnes of water evaporate from the plants in the Amazon rainforest each day. This vapour condenses into clouds that move and precipitate in farmlands and forests. This is just one example of the crucial role of plants in the circulation of water on earth.
Additionally, this documentary shows how plants also provide indirect benefits for carnivores in the wild. For example, dense vegetation along rivers provide a cover for jaguars to ambush their prey, capybaras. Capybaras feed on vegetation that grows near freshwater bodies, so the vegetation plays a role in the interactions between capybaras and their predators.
The documentary ends with an emphasis on the current issue of the depletion of freshwater by agriculture and other anthropogenic activities.
Reference List
- Our Planet: Fresh water. Netflix. Original release date: 05/apr/2019. Published on Youtube: 17/apr/2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2DU85qLfJQ
- National Geographic Society, Caryl-Sue. Food chain. National Geographic Society. 2011. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/food-chain/
- National Geographic Society, Caryl-Sue. Hydrologic Cycle. National Geographic Society. 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/hydrologic-cycle/
Applied Plant Ecology Winter 2020 