Earth: The Nature of Our Planet – Episode 02: Land

The tectonic plates of our planet are in constant motion. When they collide and grind against each other, earthquakes or tsunamis may result. Paradoxically, the destructive forces below ground are also a source of new life. It begins when plant seeds are transported by the wind to the pristine new islands, germinate and then vegetation takes root. The colonization of new territory is often a matter of chance. When fruit bats migrate to tropical islands, they inadvertently spread plant seeds from one place to the next by means of their excrements; while wind can transport spiders, still clinging to their webs, across vast distances to strange new homes.