Sue Hartley - The 300 Million Year War - Plants V Herbivores

Synopsis

The 2009 Royal Institution Christmas lectures given by Sue Hartley, Professor of Ecology at Susssex University. She tells us some interesting facts about plant biomass and their success in surviving herbivores (animals). Plants might seem passive, defenceless and almost helpless. But they are most definitely not! Thanks to a war with animals that’s lasted over 300 million years, they’ve developed many terrifying and devious ways to defend themselves and attack their enemies. Vicious poisons, lethal materials and even cunning forms of communicating with unlikely allies are just some of the weapons in their armoury. Using these and other tactics, plants have seen off everything from dinosaurs to caterpillars. In these lectures, Sue Hartley shows yplants as you’ve never seen them before. They are complicated, cunning, beautiful and with plenty of tricks up their sleeve. And what’s more, we humans are dependent on them in ways you’d never imagine. As well as much of our food, our drugs, medicines and materials are all by-products of this epic 300 million year war.

Series

Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, Series

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Year of release

2010

Year of production

2010

Notes

NB Free registration is required to access the recorded webcast from the RI.

Broadcast on More4 beginning 21/12/2009

A shortened (35 minute) version of this is available as a video recording of a public lecture given in 2010 by Sue Hartley at the University of Sussex. Available via the Vega Trust website: at http://www.vega.org.uk/video/programme/323

Subjects

Biology; Environmental science

Keywords

botany; ecology; evolution; plant physiology; herbivores; biomass

Online availability

URI

http://www.rigb.org/contentControl?action=displayContent&id=00000003536

Price

free

Delivery

Streamed

Credits

Writer

Sue Hartley

Contributor

Sue Hartley

Distribution Formats

Type

DVD

Format

Region 2 PAL

Price

£6.00

Availability

Sale

Year

2010

Distributor

Name

Royal Institution of Great Britain, The

Email

events@ri.ac.uk

Web

http://www.rigb.org/ External site opens in new window

Phone

020 7409 2992

Address

21 Albemarle Street
London
W1S 4BS

Notes

An archive of webcasts of events held at the Royal Institution, some going back to 1962. Most of the RI Christmas Lectures are available, together with other lectures given by scientists including Lawrence Bragg. Free registration is required for online access. Some of the more recent Christmas Lectures are also available for sale on DVD.