Today the science show on d. W. P. There are roughly 3 trillion trees on earth thats around 400 for every human being. Fossil discoveries suggest the 1st trees developed more than 350000000 years ago and change the world they increase the level of oxygen in the atmosphere through photosynthesis. Pasts and the take in sunlight Carbon Dioxide and water and use these to create oxygen m. P. U. K. Its the most important chemical process for life on us. Sometimes trees are able to fool the shots on the significant scale jumps out when its good precious little sunlight so how do they survive peter bullied and works well for street up. In germany he raises awareness about forests with the help of distinctly human analogies. Mother trees recognize their own offspring they link up the much sugar solution its basically akin to nursing stood. So tree suckle their samplings really. If we took a look below the surface we find fun guy spending long threads around the trees roots for the fun guy use them to supply the tree with nutrients that it would otherwise be able to access in return literally supplies the farm guy with sugar a system that benefits both sides. From god link up with a number of trees simultaneously resulting in a huge network underground thats become known as the would wide web. Young trees chap into the network and feed off the sugar provided by the older trees. Older trees with their large ground supply higher levels of sugar to the networks which is why researchers call their mother trees and remarkably additional fungal threads form connecting them to their offspring so that they receive more nutrients than other trees. Of course nursing is a term that only applies to mammals but its a similar principle as young trees flourish thanks to sugar supplied by their mothers. Forests can carry on growing and regenerating themselves for centuries that if they are left to grow. Every year an estimated 10000000000. 00 trees nothing. Displays no evidence of human interference is known as primary forests these days not many such areas left romania is home to one of the last remaining primary forests in europe tucked away in a remote valley. Where in the remaining region of transylvania on our way to. Forest thats about a 3 hour drive from the city of c. T. A group of scientists is doing field studies here in one of the largest and perhaps most beautiful primary forests in europe. For the scientists this landscape holds a treasure that is extremely valuable much of it is yet undiscovered. The forest is a virgin landscape that has seen almost no human intervention the boy in me. Is really special because its one of the last release. In the zone of your puir is no trail is really wild is really difficult to access. The scientists from the university of prague have been coming here regularly for the past 5 years the remote valley in the fog rush mountains is an ideal place to do research more than a 1000 hectors of untouched landscape from the mountain tops down to the valley floor thats rare in europe these days. Over 95 percent of all european wooded areas are manmade commercial forests so if you want to understand how a natural forest works you need to come to a place like. And here can scientists study a forest ecosystem in its original natural form. Is really important to both work days especially in times of for Climate Change values like these are the only places where we can really observe that how the 3 species will naturally put on this conditions after climbing for 3 hours we finally reach the site where the scientists have chosen to count. Theyll be based here for a whole week from here they can explore the surrounding mountains and study the forest to discover its secrets. The next morning the group sets off equipped with numerous measuring instruments they head deep into the forest. Making headway isnt easy. Whats more theyre clearly not alone. Here in their lives you can see the. Bare footprints and you can see its kind of in line in the big so its going to be in the other animal and theyre in this place it was possible looking for some insect under the leaves. 15 bears are thought to live in the boy anita valley but the scientists arent worried they continue their work undeterred and that involves measuring minute details of the forest they note the number of trees in any given area as well as their age height and species they also calculate the distribution and density of dead wood and they take or samples from the center of the trunks in order to reconstruct the history of individual trees. Wow that looked like a long needle doesnt hurt the tree. Forest a piece of woolly believes trees do indeed feel pain. Every organism can feel pain it has to answer otherwise it would respond to an attack. Is that actually true researchers suspect that when a caterpillar nibbles on a leaf that is registered by pressure receptus with a leaf the tree then pumps a substance into the leaf that renders it an appetizing and quickly spreads it around. Protect the other lease from the predators well within the tree the relevant information is transmitted electrically as any human body. But feeling pain is not just a question of registering and reacting its an experience it has to have in humans and other animals that involves the brain and scientists have yet to discover the equivalent in trees. Trees do indeed respond to injuries even if they do not feel pain now back to remain here for me personally. A good combination of work. Environment and. A bit. Through the. Mostly 3 and 4. From moving. The project started about 10 years ago. In europes few remaining primary forests scientists selected Research Plots to focus on these are circular areas roughly the size of a basketball page they now have over a 1000 plots in 9 countries theyve taken just under 40000 words samples the groups archive is the largest primary forest database in europe. Every year we spend approximately 3 months in the field with a lot of really big groups right now we are here in. 25 people. 3 groups which are split into different valleys. Martinique is especially interested in looking at how primary forests cope with Climate Change. The question is could they be at risk in the future. Complicated thinking behind it is that the extremes in temperatures are increasing bring in. An increase in natural disturbances such as. Drugs fires bar little or breaks does this increase in natural disturbances pose an existential threat to primary forests to answer this question the scientists 1st studies the past how often has been affected by bark beetle or drought for example in the last few centuries and how quickly was the forest able to recover their findings actually. We found out that musical systems are well adapted and they can or a generate after this disturbance of humans. The scientists data reveals that the forest has repeatedly been hit by disaster and yet suffered no lasting damage. Because believe this amazing ability to regenerate is one of the key differences between primary forests and those managed by human beings. Differently these forests are more resilient many commercial in this forest. Because even in cases of for high severity of large scale disturbances we can see in our. Early several all to 3 survived even one for example what they disprove was disturbed the beach for earth was still there and. The combination of the or 2. Species after this to. Create. A composition of the future for us. As yet michelangelo and his team dont know if the regenerative power of these natural forests will be sufficient to face the challenges of the future but they remain optimistic more natural growth and diversity also in our commercial forests is likely to be the best protection against the effects of Climate Change. During the day the forest cools down while at night its roughly in one degree warmer thats when many woodland become active but what it truly is do at night if they have a family and are able to defend themselves do they also see. That was a question sent in by pieces to what from the united states. Do treaties sleep. We all know human beings need sleep our inner body clock regulates when we feel tired following the earths cycle of day and night. Animals also have body clocks that set the read them for waking and sleeping. Many flowers close their petals and hang their heads at certain times of day their resting periods also follow the rhythm of day and night. But what about trees. Well it was only a few years ago that scientists were finally able to answer that question with the help of laser scanners from dusk till dawn they skinned trees with infrared light. In each case they found that the whole tree droops that night. The clones of millions of laser scanning points revealed that the position of the leaves and branches changed as the night progressed they moved lower by as much as 10 centimeters. In the morning they gradually returned to their original position. But whether the trees like the animals around them are awakened by and enter a body clock is still not clear. But what is clear is that trees do indeed appear to rest at certain times of the day. Now its time to look at the forest fill the roots of trees can be enormous and link up with other root systems. Daddy shows that around 60 percent of all trees worldwide are into linked by networks of fundy threads as we saw and yet these networks are thought to be several 100000000 years old to last the ground beneath our feet may not appear that interest. But for tree its a vital source of life. Forester ludwick papel and jug free professor clements geitner pay close attention to the forest floor and what lies beneath it holds the key to a healthy forest. Theyre going to explain to us the profound influence trees have on the quality of the soil. In a small patient is old spruce forest they examine the soil to a depth of one and a half metres. Of them as you can scoop in proof you know we can see here the various layers on the surface there are spruce needles the stuff the trees shed its a lot sometimes 5 or 6 centimeters deep sixed and. The needles decomposed to create a layer of humus which makes the soil more acidic the winterkorn the next layer down is the mineral soil with lots of tree roots spruces have very shallow roots and cant access the water or nutrients from lower down that is a disadvantage it means the roots dont loosen the soil or create channels for the humus to trickle down so the spruce can take advantage of that then if its of this good location its nukes and importance on. Nearby is a mixed forest of coniferous and deciduous trees which look big battle plan to 25 years ago the fallen leaves quickly turn to humus. The soil layers here look quite different the earth is looser and crisscrossed by lots more roots. Thats right its this year and its to the roots are much deeper and thats typical for a forest with deciduous trees that means the roots can access much more water the reservoir of vailable to the roots and hence the trees for evaporation and cooling is about 3 times as large and strong for effect. A particular interest of the fine routes through which trees absorb water and nutrients forestry engineer Daniel Berlant has compared the volume of fine roots from spruce and maple the difference is considerable these 2 clumps come from a maple tree at a depth of 10. 40 centimeters while these 2 are from a spruce. The more fine roots the tree has the more water it can access. But the scientists also find another difference between the 2 forests the one with deciduous trees as lots of earthworms which help to keep the soil rich and healthy. Agricultural scientists on a could are wants to measure the population of earthworms in this mixed forest. Mustard water onto a sample of soil among the deciduous trees drives the worms to the surface as they try to escape the mustard irritates their skin though its actually not harmful here we see how plentiful the worms are. Organic farming has focused our attention in recent years on the role earthworms play in improving soil fertility theres been less interest in their role and forests but it is an interesting question. Because where the soil is in good shape the trees will likely be so as well earthworms dont like acidic pine needles a tall but they are drawn to maple leaves for example as they dig maze of tunnels they air right the soil make it less compact and more porous. Bearing symbiotic fun guy also make use of these pop ways whats more the worms help mix humans into the soil making it easier for plants to access nutrients. So deciduous trees and hans the soil under tract worms when it comes to the challenge posed by Climate Change it is factors like these that could help make our forests more resilient. Earth limbs are good for the soil and helpful to tree but some animals and insects are damaging to trees especially. Then there are caterpillar that. Really and then us can impede the growth of the tree when pressure rather on the scene trees defend themselves by pumping toxins into their leaves. Amazingly neighboring trees do the same even if theyre not under attack forestry expert peter bolaven explains the trees talk to each other and you can understand them by listening in on a born horse there. Does that mean that trees are some kind of language and what exactly do they talk about. It turns out that older signals in response to pest and for stations and those molecules trigger a protective reaction in adjacent trees although its not clear how this works so but what if the neighbors are on the wrong side wind wise are they then not party to the conversation. Thats where the would wide web comes in trees send signals to the fungus nestling around the roots which relay them via the underground network. This rapidly puts the other trees on alert so that they can prepare their own defenses. But does that count as a language with humans this involves not just exchanging signals but words they convey information through conscious meaning associated with certain sounds so someone who speaks a Foreign Language who might not understand treat as being treated. So trees do not have language as we understand it and yet they do communicate with each other. And planets has a tree line latitudes to the north and south of which trees are unable to present in the outtake for example there are no sizeable trees and plants wont traps and musses. But here too theres plenty of life in the ground like these lemmings for example. Our next record takes us to greenland where scientists are concerned about the fate of these arctic rodents that are something of a barometer for Climate Change. And hours flight and theyll reach their destination for ecologist ben was there and wildlife biologist your highness lying its the final stage of a day long journey def light takes them across greenland glasses im frozen fjords they see that the pack ice is already starting to thaw although the short summer here has yet to really begin. Theyll soon be touching down in the camera pal valley on the island of trail. Even the landing is something of an adventure. They fought a long flour sugar milk coffee and tense along with lots of scientific equipment the team are the only humans on the island if they forgotten anything important theyll just have to do without it their return journey is several weeks away until then theyll be camping here in tents. They soon discover theyre not alone the tracks of a polar bear shooting one would be the very last resort the team set up an electric fence to keep the bears away. For more lemmings by contrast a more than welcome they are in fact the stars the very heart of the project the team of course one near the camp ben was that their 1st came to greenland to research lemmings 30 years ago and hes still studying these interesting creatures lemmings are rodents and live mainly in northern regions greenland is home to the arctic species in winter white as snow they turn gray and brown as temperatures rise during the summer they live in burrows underground always wary of predators especially arctic fox its snowy owls. And long tail skewers the lemmings are safer in winter their front claws grow and enable them to dig through the snow and frozen soil winter is also breeding season beneath a thick blanket of snow they take tunnels and build nests several litters can be born in short succession only stoats pose a threat as lemmings are able to reproduce when they reach the age of just 6 weeks the population can grow very fast its those winter nests that ben was sickly is looking for. Its an indirect method to work out how many lemmings live in the area under investigation. As the snow melts the nests become visible this is the 1st winter nest they found. Climate change means snow now force later in the year and thaws. That means that the extended phases of large scale of reproduction known as lemming peaks have ceased. In good years still low would come across 4000 nests here expedition these days 400 are already a lot. Even. The lemmings probably have a whole network of those under the snow which then connect the nests. And the lesser where they reproduced. His Team Investigates an area of 15 square kilometers every year they cover several 100 kilometers on foot to register the lemming population after just 2 weeks the fuel next to the camp is almost ice free 33. 00 nests. Continues his trek to count nests but he already knows that they are so few in number that the lemming population is unlikely to recover. Sadly there is a clear trend and one that is documented in detail. Its july 30th nests to 2. Lives ref is such a Research Project to have 3 decades of data to work with the findings are further evidence for the painful reality of Climate Change. Incidentally what lemmings are best known for committing mass suicide by jumping off cliffs is a myth it was made popular by the 950. 00 s. Walt disney film white wilderness but the filmmakers actually staged the scene and reportedly pushed the lemmings of the cliff been was it and his team are working to expose this popular misconception and restore the rodents reputation. It out on its red why of it but only if you do you have a science question that youve always wanted answered were happy to help out send it to us as a video text or voicemail if we answer it on the show well send you a little surprise as a thank you come on just ask. And for more stories about the world of science visit us on our website on twitter and facebook. Thats all for this week next time on tamara today focused energy how lenses can be placed on solar panels to produce a super concentrated power supply by for now. It. Gets a deadly sound. And a basic human trait. Drives us much and threatens to destroy us. Agree. In part one. For humans created by the church briskly something that we learn. Greek the fatal desire. In 15 minutes on d. W. O. Board ringback. I am. When the water rises cities will sink into the sea. Entire stretches of land it will be abandoned. When the water destroys. The stumps its happening faster than anticipated. And massive sprinklers are supposed to prevent flooding but they only delay the inevitable. How will we live in the future. 66 meters rising sea levels starts to sit on g. W. Inefficient. But can he conquer the major issues of our society. Seizing the founder sally. Could pose its modern day heroes in asia inspirational people who take all the challenges of the world with their unique idea. Of history with this Entrepreneurial Mind you look at those 2 problems and the same one solution the new season of founders valley. Starts june 13th on t. W. 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