------Program code: NS-080901-01657 (what's this?)
Source: CCTV.com
09-01-2008 10:11
 |
Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province has over 40,000 hectares of primeval tropical rain forest. Here, the rainforest is identified by another dipterocarpaceae tree, the Parashorea chinensis Wang Hsie, or wangtianshu. Growing to above 80 meters, it is the tallest tree in any Asian tropical rainforest.
High at the top of the green plum tree, the seeds are about to mature. In a few days, they will turn from violet to hazel, a sign that new life is growing. However, from seed to tall tree, the process may take over a hundred years.
 |
The level of the stream falls day by day. On the island, the typhoon brings 60 to 70% of the annual rainfall at one time. But it has been more than a year since the last typhoon came.
The temperature is above 36 degrees. The red tree ants come down from the madhuca tree in search of water.
The rhesus monkeys also face a long journey to find water.
In front of the waterfall, the orchids growing on the branches are withered and shrunk. The seeds are tightly wrapped in the leaves, to keep in the water the seeds need to survive.
The wasps use their mandibula in the same way that the red tree ants do. They remove pieces of mud to build their underground nests, in preparation for the coming rainy season.
At the top of the tree, the red tree ants are also busy building. With the whole forest anticipating the arrival of the wet season, the last nest has been constructed.
May to October is the rainy season on Hainan Island. Water vapour is blown continuously from the South China Sea, rising and falling over Jianfengling. Cloud and mist gather at the top of the mountain. Previously, since there was less rainfall than water evaporation, the forest experienced its dry season.
The branches and leaves of the rainforest retain the rain falling from the sky. The ground is scarcely wet at all. Nearly 90% of the rainfall on Jianfengling is concentrated in the rainy season. Unlike the rest of China, where there are four distinct seasons, here there are only two – dry and wet.
In the rain, the red tree ants are looking for the way home from the river bank.
The worker ants, which remain outside for long periods of time working, are very vulnerable to their natural enemies. They may also be killed during the fighting with other ant colonies. For the moment the falling rain drops are their biggest enemy. Without the protection of the group, strays are not likely to stay alive for more than a few days.
A long period of evolution has made the leaves on most of the plants in the rainforest long and narrow. This allows them to drain away the rain and avoid rotting.
After the rain, the level of the river is much higher. Washed by the first rain, the forest recovers its vitality.
The floor of the rain forest is covered with fungi and microorganisms. The ants regularly clean themselves and each other so as to prevent diseases caused by the microorganisms. On their way back home, the red tree ants see a spectacular sight: numerous worker termites are being sent flying in order to mate. There are both males and females among the winged termites, and it is their duty to reproduce and expand the colony.
The termites fly in low circles. It’s rather like a dancing party. The females will choose the strongest males as their mates. The process is what entomologists call a mating flight. Termites from different colonies will send their representatives. Such cross breeding ensures the diversity of the genes.
The mating flight is alluring for the termites, and also for their predators. Spectacled toads are among the first to arrive.
More predators come to share in the sumptuous feast.
The termite has failed to find a mate. The longer the mating flight lasts, the more likely it is that the termites will find not a mate, but death.
There will also be disputes among the predators.
Editor:Yang
