top
East Bay
East Bay
Indybay
Indybay
Indybay
Regions
Indybay Regions North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area North Coast Central Valley North Bay East Bay South Bay San Francisco Peninsula Santa Cruz IMC - Independent Media Center for the Monterey Bay Area California United States International Americas Haiti Iraq Palestine Afghanistan
Topics
Newswire
Features
From the Open-Publishing Calendar
From the Open-Publishing Newswire
Indybay Feature

The Private Life of Plants

Date:
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Time:
7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
Event Type:
Screening
Organizer/Author:
Florence
Email:
Phone:
510-681-8699
Location Details:
Humanist Hall
390 27th Street
uptown Oakland, between Telegraph and Broadway
http://www.HumanistHall.org



Film evenings begin with potluck refreshments and social hour at 6:30 pm,
followed by the film at 7:30 pm, followed by a discussion after the film.

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF PLANTS
Episode I: Traveling
by David Attenborough

This first Episode looks at how plants are able to move. The bramble is an aggressive example: it advances forcefully from side to side and, once settled on its course, there is little that can stand in its way. An altogether faster species is the birdcage plant, which inhabits Californian sand dunes. When its location becomes exposed, it shifts at great speed to another one with the assistance of wind — and it is this that allows many forms of vegetation to distribute their seeds. While not strictly a plant, the spores of fungi are also spread in a similar fashion. One of the most successful (and intricate) flowers to use the wind is the dandelion, whose seeds travel with the aid of “parachutes.” They are needed to travel miles away from their parents, who are too densely packed to allow any new arrivals. Trees have the advantage of height to send their seeds further, and the cottonwood is shown as a specialist in this regard. The humidity of the tropical rainforest creates transportation problems, and the liana is one plant whose seeds are aerodynamic “gliders.” Some, such as those of the sycamore, take the form of “helicopters,” while others, such as the squirting cucumber release their seeds by “exploding.” Water is also a widely used method of propulsion. However, most plants use living couriers, whether they be dogs, humans, and other primates, ants, or birds, etc., and to that end, they use color and smell to signify when they are ripe for picking.

This amazing film utilizes time-lapse sequences extensively in order to grant insights that would otherwise be impossible. Plants live on a different time scale, and even though their life is highly complex and often surprising, most of it is invisible to humans unless events that happen over months or even years are shown within seconds.

Like many traditional wildlife documentaries, this film makes use of almost no computer animation. The mechanisms of evolution are taught transparently by showing the advantages of various types of plant behavior in action. The adaptations are often complex, as it becomes clear that the environment to which plants must adapt comprises not just soil, water, and weather, but also other plants, fungi, insects, and other animals, and even humans. This film shows that co-operative strategies are often much more effective than predatory ones, as these often lead to the prey developing methods of self-defense — from plants growing spikes to insects learning to recognize mimicry.

Wheelchair accessible around the corner at 411 28th Street

$5 donations are accepted

Added to the calendar on Sat, Dec 10, 2011 12:29PM
We are 100% volunteer and depend on your participation to sustain our efforts!

Donate

$90.00 donated
in the past month

Get Involved

If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us.

Publish

Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay.

IMC Network