Problem with Ions, A

Synopsis

Dust from the Chernobyl nuclear accident reached Britain in April 1986, but some areas of the Cumbrian uplands were still radioactive in the autumn of 1990. This runs counter to the early predictions: what went wrong? The early predictions were based on lowland ecosystems; but lowland soils bind radio caesium in a way that upland soils do not. Upland plants also behave differently. The film looks at the way tomato plants use nutrients by reference to plants grown under deficient conditions. Time-lapse photography shows how roots exploit nutrient-rich zones, but plants use other mechanisms as well to boost nutrient uptake. Explores the role of mycorrhizal fungi in the uplands, together with examples of lowland ectomycorrhizas and upland endomycorrhizas and their influence on plant growth and caesium transport. Other factors are the cycling of nutrients and the uptake of caesium in upland grass. Chernobyl has become locked into the upland ecosystem to an unexpected degree.

Series

Biology: Form and Function, Course S203

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Video; Videocassette. Standard formats. col. 24 min.

Year of production

1991

Availability

Off-air recording licence
Sale; 1998 sale: £145.00 (+VAT +p&p)

Subjects

Biology

Keywords

caesium; Chernobyl; ecosystems; nuclear radiation; nutrients; plants

Credits

Producer

John Stratford

Cast

Irene Ridge

Production Company

Name

BBC Open University Productions

Distributor

Name

Open University Worldwide

Web

http://www.ouw.co.uk External site opens in new window

Phone

+44 (0) 1908 274066

Address

Walton Hall
Milton Keynes
MK7 6AA

Notes

NB. As of May 2016 Open University Worldwide are no longer distributing DVDs. They have posted this message on their website: ‘Unfortunately Open University Worldwide Limited has decided that product sales are no longer viable given the reduced funding to Higher Education institutions and diminishing demand for the products we have traditionally stocked. At present the Open University Students Association (OUSA) will continue to sell the "Good Study Guide", and we are in discussion with other possible distributors to continue to make The Open University’s products available for purchase. As soon as we have any information on other channels of distribution we will update this notice’. Some products are still available via second hand dealers on Amazon.co.uk