0:00:02 > 0:00:07We're used to seeing Britain in a certain way.
0:00:07 > 0:00:08The big stuff.
0:00:09 > 0:00:13But there's a much smaller Britain right under our noses.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17From a simple grain of sand
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to some of the most complex designs evolved by nature.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27It's a fascinating, beautiful place
0:00:27 > 0:00:30and is essential to all life on our planet.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35I'm George McGavin, a biologist,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38and I want to take you on a journey round Britain,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40to show you this secret world.
0:00:41 > 0:00:46To travel to the heart of this tiny kingdom full of wonder
0:00:46 > 0:00:49and to take a close look at its inhabitants.
0:00:50 > 0:00:52They're even living in our homes.
0:00:53 > 0:00:54It's time to get sucking.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57I want to show you the animals and plants
0:00:57 > 0:01:00responsible for the air we breathe...
0:01:01 > 0:01:04for the land beneath our feet, even for the food we eat.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Oh, my hat's gone!
0:01:08 > 0:01:12That's what happens when you're having fun and you don't look what you're dong.
0:01:13 > 0:01:16You'll never look at your world in the same way again.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20Welcome to Miniature Britain.
0:01:25 > 0:01:27The British Isles.
0:01:30 > 0:01:35It has such a rich variety of wildlife and landscapes.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42At just over 700 miles long it's not a large country.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46But those 700 miles are packed
0:01:46 > 0:01:50with a surprising variety of animals...
0:01:50 > 0:01:52great diversity of habitats...
0:01:54 > 0:01:57and rich communities of plants...
0:02:01 > 0:02:05as well as some of the most stunning coastline in the world.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10And yet all of this simply wouldn't exist
0:02:10 > 0:02:14if it wasn't for the miniature world I'm going to show you.
0:02:15 > 0:02:21It holds the key to life and I'm going to reveal some of its secrets.
0:02:24 > 0:02:29To do this I've got my hands on a revolutionary new microscope camera
0:02:29 > 0:02:33that's seven thousand times more powerful than the human eye.
0:02:34 > 0:02:36This is its first time out on the road
0:02:36 > 0:02:40and I can't wait to see the miniature wonders it should open up.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44And this is Emilien, who's going to operate it.
0:02:49 > 0:02:53We're going to start our journey in Britain's countryside,
0:02:53 > 0:02:58and what wonderful countryside it is.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08You don't have to spend long in a wild flower meadow
0:03:08 > 0:03:11to see why they provide such inspiration
0:03:11 > 0:03:15to so many poets, composers and artists.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19Well, I'm in a flower-rich field
0:03:19 > 0:03:24and this is one of the most quintessentially English habitats you'll find.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27What makes this habitat so special
0:03:27 > 0:03:30is it's actually rarer than a tropical rainforest.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Since the Second World War construction and modern farming
0:03:34 > 0:03:37have changed the face of our countryside.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41We've lost over 90% of our classic hay meadows
0:03:41 > 0:03:43and the diverse life they support.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48I mean, in the area I can reach with my hands here
0:03:48 > 0:03:52there are probably dozens if not a hundred species of flowers,
0:03:52 > 0:03:54of grasses.
0:03:54 > 0:03:55Buttercup.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58Bluebell. Plantain. Clovers.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And one of the things that I've always thought that people don't do enough
0:04:02 > 0:04:06is to get down in a habitat like this
0:04:06 > 0:04:09and just simply look at what's happening.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18Just look at this world that our camera lets us see.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22It's what this programme is all about,
0:04:22 > 0:04:25this fascinating miniature kingdom that's so beautiful
0:04:25 > 0:04:30and there's so much more out there I want to show you.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34The flowering part of a plant is all to do with reproduction.
0:04:34 > 0:04:36The flowers need the bees' and insects' help with this,
0:04:36 > 0:04:40so the bright colours of the petals attract them in.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45Incredible - I've never seen a petal close up like this before
0:04:45 > 0:04:47and look, you can see that the surface of the petals
0:04:47 > 0:04:49are far from smooth.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52They're covered in tiny raised bumps.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56It's these bumps that are thought to reflect ultraviolet light in a certain way,
0:04:56 > 0:05:01directing the bees and other insects down to the precious nectar.
0:05:01 > 0:05:03And if you keep absolutely still,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07you suddenly realise that it's absolutely crawling,
0:05:07 > 0:05:08it's alive with stuff.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14And the more you look the more interesting it becomes.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20Thanks to this camera we can see a whole world we usually miss
0:05:20 > 0:05:23and it's full of surprises.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28When I was a boy I was told that this was called cuckoo spit
0:05:28 > 0:05:33and I thought, well, it obviously hasn't got anything to do with cuckoos
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and it's not spit either, so what is it?
0:05:36 > 0:05:40What it is, is actually quite remarkable.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44- I've got a nice spittle bug for you, Emilien.- Thank you.
0:05:44 > 0:05:46Let's see how that looks.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Well, this is absolutely amazing.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52This is the frog hopper, the tiny bug nymph
0:05:52 > 0:05:54that was in that pile of foam.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59All of this foam is made by the bug.
0:05:59 > 0:06:04It keeps it from drying out and disguises it in a cloak of bubbles.
0:06:04 > 0:06:06The foam itself tastes pretty unpleasant
0:06:06 > 0:06:09so predators leave well alone.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13But what's really interesting is what's happening at the rear end,
0:06:13 > 0:06:17because how it makes this foam nest is
0:06:17 > 0:06:22it basically blows air through its backside as it feeds -
0:06:22 > 0:06:27all the excess sap, all the waste sap is being fired through the gut
0:06:27 > 0:06:31and every time it moves its bottom it makes a little bit of foam
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and it builds up until you get a big mass.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35It's just one of the cleverest tricks.
0:06:39 > 0:06:43So it's not cuckoos and it's not spittle, it's bug poo.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Which I think is a lot more interesting, actually.
0:06:48 > 0:06:50HE LAUGHS
0:06:52 > 0:06:56Much of this rich countryside simply wouldn't exist
0:06:56 > 0:07:00without the animal I want to have a really close look at next.
0:07:01 > 0:07:04They're responsible for a third of the food we eat
0:07:04 > 0:07:08and yet they're no bigger than your thumbnail.
0:07:10 > 0:07:12It's the hard-working honey bee.
0:07:16 > 0:07:19One of the great secrets of bees' success
0:07:19 > 0:07:23is their ability to defend themselves - their sting.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28And I want to take a closer look.
0:07:29 > 0:07:30Bee time!
0:07:31 > 0:07:32Bees are great.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34- To bee...- Or not to bee.
0:07:34 > 0:07:36- That's... - That is the question.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42What?
0:07:46 > 0:07:50A bee sting has an ingenious way of delivering its toxic venom...
0:07:52 > 0:07:55and I'm hoping our camera will reveal all.
0:07:59 > 0:08:02It's time to suit up so we don't get stung in the process.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09Now, there's a very good reason why you should be careful with honey bees.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13They're going to protect their supplies of food and their brood.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16So when you enter a hive like this,
0:08:16 > 0:08:18you really have got to have protection on,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21otherwise you run the risk of being stung.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31It's amazing to think that without honey bees,
0:08:31 > 0:08:33in fact without bees in general,
0:08:33 > 0:08:36we wouldn't have any flowers, we'd have no vegetables, no fruit.
0:08:37 > 0:08:40It would be a very bad state of affairs.
0:08:41 > 0:08:46Now, that's honeycomb, so there's lots of honey in there, in the cells.
0:08:46 > 0:08:51Let's get a couple of bees over to the microscope
0:08:51 > 0:08:52and see what they look like.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Ah, Emilien, I got stung! Oh!
0:08:56 > 0:08:59Quick, quick, quick. Get the camera in there.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03That's what happens if you get a gap in your clothes.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Ah! I should have had that pulled down.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13Now she's trying to take the sting out
0:09:13 > 0:09:16but because she's got a barb in the end of the sting,
0:09:16 > 0:09:19she can't pull it out very easily.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Ah! There! There's the sting.
0:09:22 > 0:09:29Now, you watch this. It continues to pulse there on its own accord,
0:09:29 > 0:09:31so even after the bee has gone,
0:09:31 > 0:09:36the sting's sac has its... almost has its own existence.
0:09:36 > 0:09:42It pulses away and that's forcing the venom out of the venom sac
0:09:42 > 0:09:45into my skin.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48There, look at that. That is incredible.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55The sting is right in my skin and the sac is pulsing,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59it's forcing the venom down this tube into the sting.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06That will continue to pulse for probably eight minutes or something.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10- Does it hurt now, George? - It's hurting now, yeah. Yeah.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15- I'm gonna pull out the sting, OK? - Wait a sec.
0:10:16 > 0:10:18Trying to get the sting out.
0:10:18 > 0:10:20- Ooh!- There.- Nice!
0:10:20 > 0:10:24Yeah, look at that hole. And it's red. Look at that - it's red.
0:10:25 > 0:10:27Wow.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30There's the sting.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33OK, let's have a look at the sting
0:10:33 > 0:10:36because the barbs are very small but they're there
0:10:36 > 0:10:38and we should be able to see them.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41- Look at this. - So there's the sting sac.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45- Go in right on the tip. - Went in your skin really easily.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48Yeah. It's very sharp.
0:10:49 > 0:10:52- Go right in, right in. - Wow, look at this.
0:10:53 > 0:10:55It's like a harpoon. Right.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59- 160 times, fill that screen. - Yeah.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09There you go.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13One, two, three, four, five barbs on that
0:11:13 > 0:11:17and that's why it's so hard for the bee to actually pull her sting out
0:11:17 > 0:11:19because it's anchored
0:11:19 > 0:11:25and that actually helps, when she walks away or flies off, it rips the sting out of the bee,
0:11:25 > 0:11:28so it continues to pulse and pump the venom in.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31It's beautifully evolved.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32HE GASPS
0:11:34 > 0:11:38- Shall we call 911?- Huh? - Shall we call the police.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40911?
0:11:40 > 0:11:42In this country, it's 999 actually.
0:11:42 > 0:11:43- 999.- Yes, yes.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45"Hello, er, ambulance, please."
0:11:47 > 0:11:49No pain, no gain.
0:11:50 > 0:11:55That sting is a brilliant weapon for defending their stores of honey.
0:11:57 > 0:12:01Now I want to show you what makes these guys such perfect pollinators.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13Well, there is the head of a worker bee and that is just beautiful.
0:12:13 > 0:12:14What a fantastic animal.
0:12:14 > 0:12:18And the whole of her is covered in these long, branched hairs,
0:12:18 > 0:12:20which are unique to honey bees.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26These help trap the grains of pollen.
0:12:27 > 0:12:31She will then use her front legs and her middle legs to groom herself
0:12:31 > 0:12:34and she'll transfer the pollen backwards to her hind legs
0:12:34 > 0:12:37where she will store it all
0:12:37 > 0:12:39and eventually she'll fly back to the hive
0:12:39 > 0:12:45and that is a very rich supply of food for the young bee larvae.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47The bees get their food
0:12:47 > 0:12:50and at the same time carry pollen from flower to flower
0:12:50 > 0:12:53to ensure that the plants get fertilised.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Our countryside is full of these intricate relationships
0:12:59 > 0:13:01between living things
0:13:01 > 0:13:05and our camera helps to see them in glorious detail.
0:13:06 > 0:13:11So now I want to use it on a true English icon.
0:13:13 > 0:13:19It's a plant that's more important to the wildlife of Britain than any other.
0:13:19 > 0:13:21It's the majestic oak.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25The oak is so important for the simple reason
0:13:25 > 0:13:29that there are so many things living on it and within it.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34It's home to around 350 different species of insects.
0:13:34 > 0:13:40Its bark can have as many as 30 different sorts of mosses and lichens growing on it.
0:13:41 > 0:13:45And huge numbers of creatures seek food and shelter
0:13:45 > 0:13:49in the crevices of the bark, amongst the canopy of fresh green leaves,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52even in the rotting trunks of old trees.
0:13:53 > 0:13:57One of the things I've always loved doing ever since I was a little boy
0:13:57 > 0:14:02is climbing trees and this one's just crying out to be climbed.
0:14:19 > 0:14:22And this one, it has got a fantastic big hole.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27It goes right down into the interior of the tree.
0:14:28 > 0:14:30HE GRUNTS
0:14:30 > 0:14:33Whoa!
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Now we're talking.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48It is just the most amazing habitat.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54This wood's been completely hollowed out by insects
0:14:54 > 0:14:56that have eaten their way along here.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05This is a very useful device for sucking up small insects
0:15:05 > 0:15:07because you can't really handle them all that easily,
0:15:07 > 0:15:10so you can suck them up with this tube device,
0:15:10 > 0:15:11which is called a pooter.
0:15:12 > 0:15:14And there's lots of beetles here
0:15:14 > 0:15:17but this one, I've just found a ground beetle.
0:15:18 > 0:15:20There's a nice spider there.
0:15:20 > 0:15:21Centipede.
0:15:21 > 0:15:26There's a little nest of a mouse in here or some small furry animal.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30And there's also one up here, which is composed of sticks.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35This tree is crawling with small things
0:15:35 > 0:15:37but actually quite large animals as well.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Right. It's exit time.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44I've seen all I can with the naked eye
0:15:44 > 0:15:47but I think with the camera's help
0:15:47 > 0:15:52I can reveal even more intimate relationships in the oak's web of life.
0:15:54 > 0:15:57Look at those little legs.
0:15:57 > 0:16:02Oh, quick in on that! Ah, it's minute - absolutely minute.
0:16:02 > 0:16:05This for me is just one of the most amazing eye-openers
0:16:05 > 0:16:07of the machine here.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11Here is a millipede just crawling through frame here,
0:16:11 > 0:16:17it's quite big and yet on its leg here is a tiny mite just there
0:16:17 > 0:16:19and it's sucking its blood through the skin.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22Millipedes under dead wood I've seen before
0:16:22 > 0:16:27but I've never seen a mite sucking their blood at this magnification.
0:16:29 > 0:16:32It's every other leg.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35Here's one leg and it's got two on it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40Even a creature like this, you know, under the bark of an oak tree
0:16:40 > 0:16:44is being absolutely hammered by blood sucking bugs
0:16:44 > 0:16:47and yet it itself is tiny.
0:16:47 > 0:16:48Here's one here.
0:16:48 > 0:16:50Now, here's a pin.
0:16:50 > 0:16:53I want to see just how small that is.
0:16:54 > 0:16:55That is amazing.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59Wow.
0:16:59 > 0:17:01It is, quite frankly, unbelievable.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06Next I want to turn my attention to this oak's precious canopy...
0:17:08 > 0:17:11packed with juicy nutritious leaves
0:17:11 > 0:17:13and there is one resident who is perfectly adapted
0:17:13 > 0:17:16to taking advantage of this abundance.
0:17:17 > 0:17:20Caterpillars are masters of the high life
0:17:20 > 0:17:23but that can make it hard work to get one down.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28I want to show you them in a new light.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35There's a whopper over here. Look at the size of that one.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37In you go. Look at that.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It's really only when you see a caterpillar up close
0:17:42 > 0:17:46that you realise just what an amazing piece of engineering it is.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57This caterpillar is just investigating an oak leaf here.
0:17:57 > 0:18:01You can see the little tiny eye spots here in the head
0:18:01 > 0:18:05and here down the side of the body are the spiracles,
0:18:05 > 0:18:07the air holes through which it breathes.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Now, caterpillars have got these amazing feet
0:18:11 > 0:18:14and if we go further down, they have adhesive pads,
0:18:14 > 0:18:18plus a row of tiny sharp hooks that anchor it on the leaf.
0:18:22 > 0:18:24There, look at that adhesive foot,
0:18:24 > 0:18:29armed with sharp spines, a row of sharp hooks on either side,
0:18:29 > 0:18:32and that makes it able to hang on to this plant.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37They cling on to the underneath of leaves high up in the tree,
0:18:37 > 0:18:41where they spend their time as eating machines.
0:18:47 > 0:18:50Eventually, after all that leaf munching,
0:18:50 > 0:18:54they turn into one of Britain's most beautiful creatures.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57To see them is going to require some specialist equipment
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and a bit of luck.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11Well, I'm going to leave this ultraviolet bulb on all night
0:19:11 > 0:19:28and we'll come back in the morning and see what we get.
0:19:29 > 0:19:31I can't wait to see what I've caught.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42Moths, attracted by my UV light.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46They often seem to lose out to butterflies in the beauty stakes
0:19:46 > 0:19:50but I think that's only because you rarely see moths up close.
0:19:53 > 0:19:55Brindle beauty.
0:19:56 > 0:19:57Brimstone.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00They're incredibly evocative names.
0:20:02 > 0:20:05It's only when you really look at a moth's wings close up
0:20:05 > 0:20:07that you realise how intricate they are.
0:20:07 > 0:20:10The entire surface of the moth and its wings are covered
0:20:10 > 0:20:15in a series of tiny scales which overlap a bit like roof tiles.
0:20:21 > 0:20:24Just look at the incredible pattern on its wing.
0:20:24 > 0:20:26It's like a work of art.
0:20:30 > 0:20:34These scales are as practical as they're water resistant.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38They've evolved to fall off if the moth scrapes its wings,
0:20:38 > 0:20:41so helps in protecting the delicate wing membrane underneath.
0:20:44 > 0:20:48And even their patterns are designed to protect the moths.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52Birds like nothing better than a juicy moth for their supper,
0:20:52 > 0:20:57so the moths have become masters of disguise to stay alive.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00This is the adult of the buff tip
0:21:00 > 0:21:04and it is one of the most perfectly camouflaged moths you'll ever find.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10At rest it sits with its wings folded together
0:21:10 > 0:21:12and the head end is a sort of ochrey pale colour.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14It looks just like a broken twig.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36From moths to millipedes to mites,
0:21:36 > 0:21:39this oak tree provides a safe home
0:21:39 > 0:21:42to thousands of individual creatures.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47And they in turn provide food for such a variety of wildlife,
0:21:47 > 0:21:49including bats, frogs and birds.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52It's estimated that chicks alone eat
0:21:52 > 0:21:56a staggering 35 billion caterpillars a year.
0:21:57 > 0:22:00Without them, the food chain starts to collapse.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02The little stuff really matters.
0:22:06 > 0:22:08And it matters closer to home, too.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Time to hit the city streets.
0:22:16 > 0:22:21Now, you might think of our urban jungle as an unlikely place to find wildlife
0:22:21 > 0:22:25but even here amongst the concrete there is a hidden world.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Now, I know this may sound a little crazy
0:22:29 > 0:22:32but I'm actually on the hunt for a bear.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35There are thousands of them around me now
0:22:35 > 0:22:37but I just have to find one.
0:22:39 > 0:22:41This bear is like no other
0:22:41 > 0:22:45and has earned the reputation as the toughest creature on the planet.
0:22:48 > 0:22:50They can survive in any environment,
0:22:50 > 0:22:54from the highest mountains to the bottom of the deepest oceans.
0:23:01 > 0:23:03In order to see just how tough they really are,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07they have been blasted into space...
0:23:09 > 0:23:11exposed to fatal levels of radiation...
0:23:14 > 0:23:16and frozen solid.
0:23:20 > 0:23:22So surviving Edinburgh will be no problem.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30They're fondly known as water bears
0:23:30 > 0:23:33but their scientific name is a tardigrade.
0:23:33 > 0:23:36And my first challenge is finding one.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41This is Mark Blaxster
0:23:41 > 0:23:43and he has seen thousands of them
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and me, well...
0:23:46 > 0:23:49I'm almost ashamed to own up that I've never seen a tardigrade.
0:23:49 > 0:23:51You've been walking on them all your life
0:23:51 > 0:23:53because they're in the mosses, in the grasses, in the soil.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55- So everywhere here?- Everywhere.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58- There are tardigrades all around here?- All around here.
0:23:58 > 0:24:01So here, where are they? Where would you find a tardigrade?
0:24:01 > 0:24:04You'll find the tardigrades anywhere where there is moss.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08So if I collect this, that piece of plant...?
0:24:08 > 0:24:12Many, many hundreds. I mean, it's crawling with them.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15Remember, they're very small and very prolific.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19- Right, I want to see one. - Yeah, let's go.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23- Emilien, meet Mark, our tardigrade expert.- Nice to meet you.- And you.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Right. I can't wait to see this.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30OK, so let's get going.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40- Oh, my goodness! - A tardigrade.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45- Looking at you... - Oh, that's fantastic! - ..with its two little eyes.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Look at its little feet. It's got claws.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53- Yeah, they've got little claws at the end of their feet. - Little claws on their feet.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55And that's why they're known as water bears -
0:24:55 > 0:24:58they look like miniature bears, claws and all.
0:24:58 > 0:25:01I have to admit they look pretty cute.
0:25:03 > 0:25:06- It has two little eyes at the front end.- I can see them.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08- And the brown stuff you can see... - Is the gut.
0:25:08 > 0:25:11Is the food in the gut, so it's been eating algae
0:25:11 > 0:25:13and that's the food in the gut.
0:25:15 > 0:25:16Right, here's a pin.
0:25:16 > 0:25:18I want to see how big that tardigrade is
0:25:19 > 0:25:21in comparison to the sharp end of a pin.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29Right, that, that is the sharp end of a pin.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32So it's a very small animal.
0:25:34 > 0:25:35That's incredible.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41These animals have actually been used in space, haven't they?
0:25:41 > 0:25:43Yes, because they can do this cryptobiosis,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45this life without water.
0:25:45 > 0:25:50The European Space Agency exposed them to the vacuum of outer space
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and to solar radiation which would kill us in seconds
0:25:54 > 0:25:57and then took the tardigrades back down to earth.
0:25:57 > 0:25:59- And lo and behold... - Added some water
0:25:59 > 0:26:00and lo and behold they came back to life.
0:26:00 > 0:26:05So they're being used to look at how we might protect humans
0:26:05 > 0:26:07on long space journeys
0:26:07 > 0:26:10but also it's interesting, just how resilient they are.
0:26:11 > 0:26:17There we have probably one of the earth's extreme survivors,
0:26:17 > 0:26:20animals that will certainly be here long after we've gone.
0:26:20 > 0:26:21Oh, yeah.
0:26:21 > 0:26:26Tardigrades might be small but that doesn't mean they're insignificant.
0:26:27 > 0:26:29There are billions of them all around us,
0:26:29 > 0:26:34an army of miniature grazers playing a vital role
0:26:34 > 0:26:36in maintaining the balance of nature.
0:26:48 > 0:26:52Tiny urban ecosystems don't stop at our front doors.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58Believe it or not there's a miniature kingdom inside your carpet.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01Now, in order to show you what's lurking about your home...
0:27:02 > 0:27:04it's time to get sucking.
0:27:07 > 0:27:09The micro critter I'm going to show you
0:27:09 > 0:27:11has infested our homes by the million.
0:27:15 > 0:27:20They breed in our beds. They forage on our carpets and in our sofas.
0:27:22 > 0:27:24Yet whilst we might be horrified
0:27:24 > 0:27:27by the thought of them sharing our homes
0:27:27 > 0:27:29they're actually doing us a favour.
0:27:32 > 0:27:35The creature I'm looking for is a dust mite
0:27:35 > 0:27:37and I'm hoping my bit of spring cleaning
0:27:37 > 0:27:40should have hoovered up one or two of them.
0:27:41 > 0:27:43Got a fibre here. There's a hair here.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45- Look at this. This there. - That's amazing.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50The majority of these tiny flakes are actually skin.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52It's absolutely incredible.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57Every human sheds about three and a half kg of skin flakes every year,
0:27:57 > 0:27:59that's about eight pounds.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01And just to give you an idea,
0:28:01 > 0:28:05that works out at around seven boxes of cornflakes.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Anyone for breakfast?
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Which is great news for our dust mites
0:28:13 > 0:28:16as they like nothing more than munching on all that old skin.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20Now all we need to do is find one.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22That's skin, bits of grit.
0:28:24 > 0:28:26Bits of plant debris.
0:28:28 > 0:28:30- Look, here's one.- Where?
0:28:31 > 0:28:34Ha! A mite. Look right there.
0:28:34 > 0:28:38And it's actually eating a tiny skin flake there.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41You can see the black jaws are chomping away there.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48And that little tiny flake of skin is its meal.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52That is quite amazing.
0:28:55 > 0:29:00- I mean, that is something you don't see very often. - HE LAUGHS
0:29:00 > 0:29:02But it's happening all around you.
0:29:02 > 0:29:04I mean, this is a minute animal.
0:29:04 > 0:29:08A dust mite like this is about the thickness of a human hair.
0:29:11 > 0:29:12What is this?
0:29:12 > 0:29:15Oh, that's a woodlouse, that is a dead woodlouse,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18which has obviously been hoovered up off the stairs.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22And what's that? Look there.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26A little, tiny mite,
0:29:26 > 0:29:32which is surviving by eating the remains of a dead woodlouse.
0:29:32 > 0:29:35Fascinating, it's eating inside.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40It's like a hyena on an elephant remains.
0:29:40 > 0:29:44It's exactly the same only smaller. It's just much, much smaller.
0:29:49 > 0:29:52So even inside a dead woodlouse
0:29:52 > 0:29:54you'll find something alive eating it,
0:29:54 > 0:29:56which is probably just as well
0:29:56 > 0:29:59because if we didn't have things eating dead insects and skin flakes,
0:30:00 > 0:30:04we'd probably end up up to our armpits in the stuff.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09So the micro world is working hard to keep things in order,
0:30:09 > 0:30:11even in our sofas and carpets.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16All of this essential work carries on unnoticed
0:30:16 > 0:30:21and the same can be said of creatures lurking in our own back gardens.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26Now, these days we all like to think we're doing our bit for recycling
0:30:26 > 0:30:30but there's an animal that lives most of its life underground
0:30:30 > 0:30:33that could teach us a thing or two about being green
0:30:33 > 0:30:34and it lives in a place
0:30:34 > 0:30:37where there's more muck and free love than a pop festival.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40But danger lurks round every corner.
0:30:42 > 0:30:46And the place I'm talking about? Your compost heap!
0:30:47 > 0:30:51Weevils that spend a lot of their adult life having sex.
0:30:52 > 0:30:55Beetle larvae on the kill with crushing jaws.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03Alien forms about to break out of pupae.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07Slugs with more teeth than a shark.
0:31:10 > 0:31:13And there's blood-sucking mites crawling over everything.
0:31:15 > 0:31:16They're all here
0:31:16 > 0:31:19but the creature I've come to take a microscopic look at
0:31:19 > 0:31:22plays a vital role in the life of the whole planet.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30Earthworms are undoubtedly one of the most important organisms on earth.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33They are essential at recycling
0:31:33 > 0:31:37and they make soil - I mean, essentially, soil is worm poo.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40In rich farmland where there are perhaps animals grazing,
0:31:40 > 0:31:45you might have up to two million earthworms per acre
0:31:45 > 0:31:48and the total weight of those earthworms will be greater
0:31:48 > 0:31:51than all of the animals on top of the land.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Without earthworms we simply wouldn't have soil.
0:31:58 > 0:32:00There's a secret to the way worms move
0:32:00 > 0:32:03that I'm hoping our camera can show us.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07Oh, look at that!
0:32:20 > 0:32:25Earthworms move by being able to send a wave of contractions along themselves
0:32:25 > 0:32:28but in order to pass through the soil
0:32:28 > 0:32:31they need to anchor themselves with little tiny hairs,
0:32:31 > 0:32:33There! There it is there.
0:32:33 > 0:32:40There's a little tiny set of tough spiny hairs called setae.
0:32:42 > 0:32:47And as they contract, these come out and anchor against the soil.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49They can then drag the rest of the earthworm up.
0:32:52 > 0:32:57These are the key to how earthworms actually move through the soil.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00And I have never seen this happening actually live.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Amazing!
0:33:06 > 0:33:10As they move, they eat decaying food waste.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14It passes through their guts and out as rich, fertile soil.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19- This is the rear end, yeah? - Yeah, that's the rear end.
0:33:21 > 0:33:26There is the earthworm heading off into the soil where it wants to be.
0:33:26 > 0:33:28Oh! And a farewell poop there, as it went.
0:33:30 > 0:33:35One of the most important substances on the whole planet, worm poo.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40- HE LAUGHS - And I'm seeing it as I have never seen it before.
0:33:43 > 0:33:46So all those worms are busy in Britain's compost heaps,
0:33:46 > 0:33:50recycling all of that rotting fruit and veg.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53But the story doesn't end there.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56All that decaying organic material also plays host
0:33:56 > 0:34:00to one of the most important organisms in the natural world.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07This organism is neither plant nor animal.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11It has over 100,000 species.
0:34:11 > 0:34:14It can both cure disease and cause it.
0:34:14 > 0:34:17Some taste great, while others can kill you.
0:34:25 > 0:34:29This may look like the surface of some strange alien planet
0:34:29 > 0:34:32but it's actually much more at home in a bowl
0:34:32 > 0:34:34with cream and sugar on it.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40What you're looking at is actually a magnified old strawberry
0:34:40 > 0:34:42with fungus growing on it.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49But it's this fungus that's so special
0:34:49 > 0:34:51and I'm going to show you why.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56Look at that! That is, that is absolutely gorgeous.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02Each of these threads bears at the end, at the tip, a tiny little ball
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and they will be full of spores, so when they become mature,
0:35:06 > 0:35:12they'll burst open and then billions of spores will drift off elsewhere.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15And fungi are the world's decomposers.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17They really...
0:35:17 > 0:35:21Without fungi we'd be in a right old state, wouldn't we, basically?
0:35:23 > 0:35:27They're probably the most important group of organisms on earth.
0:35:32 > 0:35:33- Wow. That is just phenomenal. - Amazing.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38On a fruit bowl that's gone off,
0:35:38 > 0:35:42you might have 20 or 30 separate sorts of fungi.
0:35:43 > 0:35:45Look at that.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53We use fungi in many ways.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57We eat them, we make pesticides from them.
0:35:57 > 0:36:02Without one of them - yeast - we would have no beer or wine or even bread.
0:36:02 > 0:36:07They're also used to make life saving drugs, such as penicillin.
0:36:09 > 0:36:13- Shall we have a look at the raisins? - The grapes.
0:36:13 > 0:36:14- Grapes.- Yeah, yeah. Absolutely.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16- Raisins!- Sounds cool, raisins.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18They will be raisins eventually.
0:36:19 > 0:36:21Smells a bit like, like wine.
0:36:22 > 0:36:25- Hm.- Doesn't smell too bad, actually.
0:36:25 > 0:36:26No, no.
0:36:26 > 0:36:32Ooh. Now that's not something you'd particularly want to eat.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37But our camera reveals a beautiful miniature world.
0:36:40 > 0:36:42Looks like flowers, these. They're like little flowers.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46It's very romantic.
0:36:46 > 0:36:48Really, you think?
0:36:48 > 0:36:52I think if I brought my wife a bunch of those,
0:36:52 > 0:36:55I don't think I'd get a very good reception.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57THEY LAUGH
0:36:59 > 0:37:02Whether it's dust mites in the carpet, worms in the garden
0:37:02 > 0:37:05or these surprisingly beautiful fungi,
0:37:05 > 0:37:08these miniature recyclers play a vital role
0:37:08 > 0:37:12in our urban world and beyond.
0:37:16 > 0:37:18Well, it's time to hit the trail
0:37:18 > 0:37:20and I want to take you to a place
0:37:20 > 0:37:23which I think is one of the most beautiful locations in Britain
0:37:23 > 0:37:27and it simply wouldn't exist without fungi.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30- Are you OK to clear all this up? - Oh! Again?
0:37:30 > 0:37:31Thanks. Bye.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34He's such a "fun guy". GEORGE CHUCKLES
0:37:35 > 0:37:42I'm heading north to the Blackwood of Rannoch in Scotland.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46You couldn't imagine a greater contrast with our cities and towns.
0:37:47 > 0:37:51Yet these trees depend on fungi even more than we do.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55This forest is only here because of a giant fungus
0:37:55 > 0:37:58many miles across and thousands of years old
0:37:58 > 0:38:00and that's what I want to show you.
0:38:05 > 0:38:07STAG ROARS
0:38:07 > 0:38:10There's a unique community of wildlife here
0:38:10 > 0:38:13that all, ultimately, relies on that fungus.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18It's a fungus which lives underground, hidden beneath my feet.
0:38:18 > 0:38:23So I'm going to take a handful of the soil that it lives in
0:38:23 > 0:38:27to show you this incredible ancient organism up close.
0:38:31 > 0:38:36Fungi are among the oldest and largest organisms on earth.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42All people usually ever see of fungi are the toadstools etc,
0:38:42 > 0:38:44the things above ground that are obvious.
0:38:49 > 0:38:52But the real bulk of the fungus is underground
0:38:52 > 0:38:55in the form of these threads or hyphae
0:38:55 > 0:38:58and they have amazing interactions with trees.
0:38:58 > 0:39:03The fungal threads that we see here spread throughout this whole forest
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and they join this tree with that tree, with that tree,
0:39:06 > 0:39:08with the trees over there.
0:39:08 > 0:39:12They're all connected. It's like a giant hidden underground web.
0:39:14 > 0:39:16And it's an interaction that goes both ways.
0:39:16 > 0:39:21The fungi get carbon and energy from the tree
0:39:21 > 0:39:26and in return for that, the trees extract lots of elements and food
0:39:26 > 0:39:29through the agency of the fungi themselves.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33So, without the fungi the trees just wouldn't survive.
0:39:33 > 0:39:37And without trees there would be no insects, no birds,
0:39:37 > 0:39:39no clean air to breathe.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42CROAKING
0:39:42 > 0:39:45I can't stress enough how important fungi are
0:39:45 > 0:39:47to the life on this planet.
0:39:49 > 0:39:51Before I leave this beautiful Scottish forest,
0:39:51 > 0:39:56there's one more surprising critter I'd like to show you,
0:39:56 > 0:40:01a carnivore that keeps the whole forest ecosystem in balance.
0:40:03 > 0:40:04Oh!
0:40:05 > 0:40:07Oh!
0:40:07 > 0:40:09Oh...
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Ow! Ooh, that was a bad one.
0:40:11 > 0:40:12Oh!
0:40:14 > 0:40:16- HE GASPS - Ooh!
0:40:16 > 0:40:18This is a wood ant nest
0:40:18 > 0:40:23and it contains probably several thousand, up to 100,000, individual ants.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Now, they don't have a sting but they have got very sharp jaws
0:40:27 > 0:40:30and they're able to spray formic acid.
0:40:30 > 0:40:32They're amazing creatures.
0:40:32 > 0:40:36I mean, one of the things that, I think everyone's surprised about,
0:40:36 > 0:40:41if you say carnivore to the majority of people
0:40:41 > 0:40:45they would think lions, tigers, that sort of thing.
0:40:45 > 0:40:48But actually ants are the major carnivore in the world.
0:40:48 > 0:40:50In fact, in any habitat,
0:40:50 > 0:40:52whether it's your back garden or the African plains,
0:40:52 > 0:40:58ants are taking away far more animal flesh than all the big carnivores added up.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03And it's this carnivorous activity that has a crucial part to play
0:41:03 > 0:41:06in the delicate ecosystem of the forest.
0:41:08 > 0:41:10Trees provide the ants with somewhere to live
0:41:10 > 0:41:12and a constant supply of food.
0:41:12 > 0:41:16The ants in turn take away all the plant-eating caterpillars and bugs
0:41:16 > 0:41:18that would damage the tree.
0:41:18 > 0:41:20It's the perfect arrangement.
0:41:22 > 0:41:24But you can see how ferocious they are.
0:41:24 > 0:41:28If I put my arm down in the colony there...
0:41:28 > 0:41:32Look at that! Whoa!
0:41:32 > 0:41:34HE PANTS
0:41:34 > 0:41:36And they are biting and stinging.
0:41:38 > 0:41:44Wood ants are particularly fearsome because they have such huge nests.
0:41:44 > 0:41:46- Ow! - This is amazing.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52Any animal or any object which is alien will be attacked,
0:41:52 > 0:41:56so, I mean, they're superb at clearing anything off their home range.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58I now have several under my shirt
0:41:58 > 0:42:00and one is just going up into my armpit.
0:42:01 > 0:42:02Oh! And got me!
0:42:02 > 0:42:03Ooh!
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Emilien, have you enough of this film? I think...
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Well, we have a few nice images, definitely.
0:42:10 > 0:42:11Ow.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17- Annoy them a bit.- Yeah that would... Why don't you do that, Emilien?
0:42:17 > 0:42:18That's a good idea.
0:42:19 > 0:42:21EMILIEN LAUGHS
0:42:21 > 0:42:26The way ants protect these trees from pests is just another example
0:42:26 > 0:42:30of the enormous importance of some of the smallest animals.
0:42:40 > 0:42:42The more I delve into Britain's miniature world,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46the more I realise how it shapes this wonderful island
0:42:46 > 0:42:48and keeps it ticking along.
0:42:51 > 0:42:55As an island nation this delicate balance is never more significant
0:42:55 > 0:42:58than in the seas that lap the length of its shoreline.
0:43:00 > 0:43:03This is where lots of things hide when it's low tide.
0:43:04 > 0:43:05Oh, look at that!
0:43:05 > 0:43:10No one living in Britain is more than 70 miles from the coast.
0:43:10 > 0:43:14We rely on the natural resources it provides for food, our weather,
0:43:14 > 0:43:17the climate, even the air we breathe,
0:43:17 > 0:43:22so this is the final world I want to explore in miniature
0:43:22 > 0:43:23with our camera.
0:43:25 > 0:43:27- Hi.- Hello there.
0:43:27 > 0:43:29I wondered what you were hunting for.
0:43:29 > 0:43:35Well, I got my nets down. I just took the fish out of my nets.
0:43:35 > 0:43:37- I'm George. - Oh, how do you do, George.
0:43:37 > 0:43:38- Nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41- What have you got?- Well, I've got just dogfish in that one.
0:43:41 > 0:43:46- Oh, wow.- We got... - You've got loads in here.
0:43:46 > 0:43:49In here we've got dogfish, bass, mullet.
0:43:49 > 0:43:52- And so you collect these for...? - That's just for eating.
0:43:52 > 0:43:55- For eating.- Just for eating for us and our friends, yeah.
0:43:55 > 0:43:57Wow.
0:43:57 > 0:44:01One of the things that's great about sharks and dogfish
0:44:01 > 0:44:03is that if you stroke the skin that way it's nice and smooth,
0:44:03 > 0:44:06- go that way it's incredibly rough. - RASPING NOISE
0:44:06 > 0:44:08- You can hear it. - Of course, in the old days
0:44:08 > 0:44:11the carpenters used to use it for sand paper. That's what they had.
0:44:11 > 0:44:15Now I've got a special instrument on the beach.
0:44:15 > 0:44:19What I'd really like to do is to examine the skin really up close.
0:44:19 > 0:44:22- Would you be happy if I...? - Yeah, let's go and have a gander.
0:44:22 > 0:44:25That's fantastic. I'll carry this one.
0:44:25 > 0:44:28- You all right with that one?- Yep. - Right.- Oh!- That's the light one.
0:44:28 > 0:44:32- You must have a healthy appetite. - That's why I'm probably so fat!
0:44:33 > 0:44:35This is a great opportunity
0:44:35 > 0:44:39to see how well adapted animals have to be to survive here.
0:44:39 > 0:44:42Dogfish are a part of the shark family,
0:44:42 > 0:44:47fast aquatic predators who really need speed.
0:44:47 > 0:44:51- Derek, Emilien. I brought something. - Pleased to meet you.- Hello.
0:44:51 > 0:44:55- It's not small but I brought you this.- Looks nice.
0:44:55 > 0:44:56But there's a reason for it.
0:44:56 > 0:44:59If you look at the skin on that,
0:44:59 > 0:45:02I think you'll find it's quite an amazing structure.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06This, I want to see.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19The skin of a dogfish or a shark is very smooth
0:45:19 > 0:45:21if you stroke your hand from the head to the tail.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24Now, do you know why it's that way?
0:45:24 > 0:45:27No, not really. Only because of the roughness, I presume.
0:45:27 > 0:45:33It's smoother flow if you have these minute little bits that face backwards.
0:45:36 > 0:45:37If you had an entirely smooth fish
0:45:37 > 0:45:42it wouldn't be quite as streamlined, in fact, as it would with this,
0:45:42 > 0:45:45so these little tiny bits of the skin,
0:45:45 > 0:45:47which are sharp and point backwards,
0:45:47 > 0:45:50actually allow the fish to swim more freely,
0:45:50 > 0:45:53more, more agilely through the water.
0:45:53 > 0:45:57Perhaps I better reshape having my hair cut so I can swim faster.
0:45:58 > 0:46:00- Do you swim? - Not very well.
0:46:00 > 0:46:02No, well, but you see if you had that on, Derek,
0:46:02 > 0:46:04- you could really move. - Move, yeah.
0:46:05 > 0:46:11As Derek heads out to catch his tea, Emilien and I learn a vital lesson.
0:46:12 > 0:46:13Time and tide wait for no one,
0:46:13 > 0:46:19especially biologists peering down the barrel of their microscope cameras.
0:46:19 > 0:46:21Er, Emilien, this is getting very wet here.
0:46:21 > 0:46:24Oh, the tide's coming in, this is getting a bit dangerous.
0:46:24 > 0:46:26We need to switch that off quick.
0:46:28 > 0:46:30- Emilien, we need... Oh, my hat's gone! - THEY LAUGH
0:46:30 > 0:46:34- Can we...? Ready?- Yep.
0:46:35 > 0:46:37Hup! Ooh.
0:46:42 > 0:46:44That's what happens when you're having fun
0:46:44 > 0:46:47and you don't look what you're doing,
0:46:47 > 0:46:48at what's happening around you.
0:46:49 > 0:46:50- Big one.- Yeah.
0:46:50 > 0:46:53Whilst we wait for the tide to recede,
0:46:53 > 0:46:55it's time for a spot of lunch.
0:46:55 > 0:46:58I'm really enjoying eating here on the beach
0:46:58 > 0:47:01and this cheese is absolutely delicious.
0:47:01 > 0:47:05I'm just wondering if I might be eating more than I bargained for.
0:47:05 > 0:47:07A closer look at this cheese
0:47:07 > 0:47:09may reveal something a little surprising.
0:47:17 > 0:47:20Well, one of these cheeses is a rather nice French cheese
0:47:20 > 0:47:22called Beaufort de Montagne
0:47:22 > 0:47:26and the rind is very interesting.
0:47:26 > 0:47:31If I put the camera on it, look at that -
0:47:32 > 0:47:36It's crawling with cheese mites, little tiny mites
0:47:36 > 0:47:39that are just infesting the whole of the rind
0:47:39 > 0:47:42and it's that infestation that some people say
0:47:42 > 0:47:44gives the cheese it's very special flavour.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52- HE LAUGHS - They must love cheese, these guys.
0:47:56 > 0:47:59They live in the rind, they eat their way through it
0:47:59 > 0:48:01and they give the rind that sort of holey texture
0:48:01 > 0:48:05and when you eat it, you're eating the cheese, the rind
0:48:05 > 0:48:08and you're also eating the mites and their poo
0:48:08 > 0:48:09and it's just great.
0:48:11 > 0:48:14Tastes fantastic and it's completely harmless.
0:48:16 > 0:48:20Who wants a piece? Surely? Just a little tiny bit, come on.
0:48:20 > 0:48:23I think if you're going to experience the cheese
0:48:23 > 0:48:25you really need to eat the whole thing.
0:48:25 > 0:48:29Just imagine - I'm now eating cheese plus several thousand cheese mites.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42Now, as nice as a bit of cheese is,
0:48:42 > 0:48:47you can't beat having a bag of chips when you're at the seaside,
0:48:47 > 0:48:50though it does attract the attention of some unwanted guests.
0:48:51 > 0:48:53But watching these seagulls flying around
0:48:53 > 0:48:56does give you food for thought.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Britain is famous for its seabirds,
0:49:02 > 0:49:06long-distance travellers that fly far out to sea in search of food
0:49:06 > 0:49:09and brave the most extreme weather conditions.
0:49:11 > 0:49:14If you're flying over rough seas there's no room for error.
0:49:16 > 0:49:20Those vital wings must stay in tip-top condition.
0:49:30 > 0:49:34Birds' wings are actually one of the most incredible adaptations
0:49:34 > 0:49:36of almost any animal group.
0:49:36 > 0:49:40Something as simple as a feather is
0:49:40 > 0:49:42an evolutionary feat of micro-engineering.
0:49:46 > 0:49:49Now, Emilien has set up our camera in a beach hut
0:49:49 > 0:49:52and it's here that I'm hoping we can reveal
0:49:52 > 0:49:55some of the secrets of flight.
0:50:00 > 0:50:03That seagull there, that's your feather right here.
0:50:03 > 0:50:05That's your feather, mate, right here.
0:50:05 > 0:50:09Yeah, so thanks for that.
0:50:09 > 0:50:11Now, that is one of the most incredible things.
0:50:11 > 0:50:14It's evolved to be a flat surface
0:50:14 > 0:50:19but it's made up of hundreds of tiny barbs with hooks on them.
0:50:19 > 0:50:22Let's have a look at that and see what it looks like.
0:50:29 > 0:50:31Look at it - that's amazing, look at it.
0:50:38 > 0:50:40So many small hairs.
0:50:43 > 0:50:44It's highly branched
0:50:44 > 0:50:49and each of the individual elements of the feather on either side
0:50:49 > 0:50:52have hairs that come out and interlock.
0:50:56 > 0:51:02- So does this make it waterproof as well?- Wind proof.- Wind proof.
0:51:02 > 0:51:04Yeah, I mean, if you're going to fly
0:51:04 > 0:51:07you have to have a flat surface which is airtight,
0:51:07 > 0:51:12and that is the easiest way of doing it.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21- You know when you see a bird having a preen?- Yep.
0:51:21 > 0:51:22They're oiling the feathers
0:51:22 > 0:51:26but they're also trying to get any breaks joined up again.
0:51:27 > 0:51:29Because you can break them very easily.
0:51:29 > 0:51:32You see if you pull that apart, it just goes pop
0:51:32 > 0:51:36but if you do that again it re-engages
0:51:36 > 0:51:38and they hitch back together again.
0:51:38 > 0:51:42I mean, that's one of the most highly evolved structures
0:51:42 > 0:51:47and that's what makes birds such successful animals.
0:51:47 > 0:51:49If they weren't able to do that with their wings
0:51:49 > 0:51:53and if they didn't have that structure, they wouldn't fly.
0:51:53 > 0:51:56And now we are at 350 times.
0:52:02 > 0:52:05That is millions of years of evolution
0:52:05 > 0:52:08to produce the perfect flying surface.
0:52:17 > 0:52:20To meet our final players in this micro drama
0:52:20 > 0:52:26I'm returning to where we started - Old Harry Rocks in Dorset.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36The life forms I'm looking for are fundamental to life
0:52:36 > 0:52:39not only in Britain but to the whole planet.
0:52:44 > 0:52:48They're crucial to the food we eat, the air we breathe
0:52:48 > 0:52:51and even the land beneath our feet.
0:52:54 > 0:52:57In order to meet them, I've got to take to the high seas.
0:53:02 > 0:53:06There's no better example anywhere in the world
0:53:06 > 0:53:10of the power of minute organisms than these chalk cliffs.
0:53:10 > 0:53:14These cliffs were formed between 30 and 130 million years ago
0:53:14 > 0:53:20by the steady accumulation of the remains of tiny marine algae.
0:53:21 > 0:53:23These algae are known as phytoplankton
0:53:23 > 0:53:26and they're absolutely essential to all life
0:53:26 > 0:53:30and it's Sarah Jane, a marine biologist,
0:53:30 > 0:53:32who's going to help me find them.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34Well, I'm feeling decidedly queasy.
0:53:34 > 0:53:37- Yeah, it's a little bit windy today, isn't it?- And choppy.
0:53:37 > 0:53:39This shouldn't take too long.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41- What I've just thrown in here was the plankton net.- Right.
0:53:41 > 0:53:47And we've got another one here. It's got a micro filter at the end
0:53:47 > 0:53:49and we're going to drag it up through the water column
0:53:49 > 0:53:52and hopefully collect any little animals
0:53:52 > 0:53:55- that might be living in the water in here to look at later.- Right.
0:53:55 > 0:53:57- So if you want to... - Can I have a go?
0:53:57 > 0:53:59Yeah, if you take... Make sure you keep hold of the end.
0:53:59 > 0:54:03- Make sure I keep this end, yeah. That's the important bit. - Just throw it over.
0:54:03 > 0:54:06- Whee!- And then what we're trying to do is we want it to sink down,
0:54:06 > 0:54:08so if you try and let the weight go out
0:54:08 > 0:54:10and then just feed the rope out.
0:54:10 > 0:54:14- Yeah.- Let's just pull them up so we don't lose them under the boat.
0:54:14 > 0:54:17I think mine's caught on something. Might have caught a crab.
0:54:18 > 0:54:21So essentially, all the stuff gets washed down
0:54:21 > 0:54:23into this little bit at the end here.
0:54:23 > 0:54:24Yeah, into the end here
0:54:24 > 0:54:29and then what we can do is we can just wash that out into a cup
0:54:29 > 0:54:32and we can collect that to look at under the microscope later.
0:54:32 > 0:54:33And that's it. Wow.
0:54:37 > 0:54:43To actually see them we're going to have to push our microscope camera to its very limits.
0:54:54 > 0:54:58Oh, what on earth is that? Something's just swum past.
0:54:58 > 0:55:01Now, what I really want to see, Emilien, is the phytoplankton.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Maybe we can zoom in on this one right here.
0:55:05 > 0:55:08- Oh, that's nice. - Yeah, they look like some diatoms.
0:55:09 > 0:55:12- There he is. - Oh, that is beautiful.- Fantastic.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20- GEORGE CHUCKLES - It's an absolute soup.
0:55:20 > 0:55:23Phytoplankton are microscopic algae
0:55:23 > 0:55:26that live in the ocean by the trillions,
0:55:26 > 0:55:30making them some of the most numerous organisms on earth.
0:55:31 > 0:55:35Phytoplankton are essentially the green plants of the ocean -
0:55:35 > 0:55:37that's what everything eats.
0:55:37 > 0:55:39They're the base of the food chain.
0:55:39 > 0:55:41Yeah, they really are right at the bottom,
0:55:41 > 0:55:44so they are the bottom of the food web
0:55:44 > 0:55:47and everything else is completely dependent
0:55:47 > 0:55:50on the productivity of these organisms.
0:55:50 > 0:55:53So without phytoplankton at the base of the food chain
0:55:53 > 0:55:55we wouldn't have fish to eat
0:55:55 > 0:56:00and there wouldn't be whales, dolphins, sharks or seabirds.
0:56:00 > 0:56:02The oceans would be barren.
0:56:05 > 0:56:10They're even responsible for the very air we breathe.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13Now, I've heard that, of course, it's the green plants on earth
0:56:13 > 0:56:16that are really important for oxygen and so on.
0:56:16 > 0:56:19- That isn't really quite true, is it? - No, not quite
0:56:19 > 0:56:22because actually most of the oxygen produced on this planet
0:56:22 > 0:56:24is by these marine phytoplankton,
0:56:24 > 0:56:27It's actually about every second breath that anything takes on earth,
0:56:27 > 0:56:30that oxygen is formed by these phytoplankton.
0:56:34 > 0:56:38So if we didn't have minute marine algae, we wouldn't be here.
0:56:40 > 0:56:43When they die, they sink to the bottom of the ocean.
0:56:44 > 0:56:49In time, billions and trillions of their calcified skeletons build up
0:56:49 > 0:56:51to form enormous rock formations,
0:56:51 > 0:56:55including Britain's iconic white cliffs.
0:56:58 > 0:57:03So all because of trillions and trillions of tiny algae,
0:57:03 > 0:57:06we've got oxygen to breathe, we've got food to eat
0:57:06 > 0:57:09and we've got fantastic cliffs.
0:57:09 > 0:57:13Yep, basically, they're the root of most life today.
0:57:26 > 0:57:31My journey into Britain's micro kingdom has revealed
0:57:31 > 0:57:33some of the secrets of this hidden world.
0:57:34 > 0:57:38I've spent my life examining the miniature world around us
0:57:38 > 0:57:40but I've never seen it like this before.
0:57:41 > 0:57:44Wow! That is amazing.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48It really is the small things that shape our world
0:57:48 > 0:57:52and what a beautiful, awe-inspiring place it is.
0:57:52 > 0:57:56From the pollen collecting hairs unique to the honey bee,
0:57:56 > 0:57:59the essential life-giving qualities of fungus,
0:57:59 > 0:58:02the evolutionary splendour of a feather
0:58:02 > 0:58:04that holds the secret of flight,
0:58:04 > 0:58:07to the very organisms that make the air we breathe,
0:58:07 > 0:58:12creating, nurturing, constantly correcting the balance,
0:58:12 > 0:58:16the inhabitants of this micro kingdom are the true guardians
0:58:16 > 0:58:18of the planet we call home.
0:58:19 > 0:58:22I hope it's made you think that it's worthwhile taking a closer look
0:58:22 > 0:58:26at the magical world that's right under your nose.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28You might be surprised at what you'll find.
0:58:32 > 0:58:34Makes you think, huh?
0:58:35 > 0:58:37Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd