Will explore the strategy, deception and feats of engineering plants use to thrive in the changing weather of different seasons. In the face of conditions ranging from ice and snow to raging fires, survival is often a question of perfect timing - particularly when contending with intense competition and surprising predators. In this episode, David Attenborough travels to Finland to show one of the most extreme examples of seasonal plant life in the Arctic Circle. He also travels to California to see how climate change is affecting giant sequoias. These ancient trees like all other seasonal plants depend on the predictability of the seasons and our current changing climate threatens their survival.
The meteoric rise of renewable energy has consequences for our electricity supply. While coal and gas fired power stations can generate electricity whenever you need it, renewables are intermittent by nature. So we need a backup plan for when the wind stops or the sun goes down. All over the world, engineers and scientists are racing to solve one key problem; how to safely and efficiently store electricity at a huge scale but at a low cost. The quest is producing some truly remarkable ideas and this episode details three of them.
In the second episode, Dreadnoughtus males compete for the right to mate. Lizards are hunted by Velociraptor among a group of sleeping Tarbosaurus. A Mononykus forages for termites and investigates new food options after a brief rainstorm. Several types of dinosaurs congregate around a watering hole in Mongolia. Above the deserts of North Africa, aerial combat ensues as male Barbaridactylus pterosaurs fight for the attention of females below. A herd of Secernosaurus brave the harsh gypsum dunes in search of nourishment.
In the third episode, a Velociraptor hunts pterosaurs on a cliffside by a waterfall. A battle-scarred Tyrannosaurus nurses his wounds and encounters a newcomer. With its feathered body and duck bill, the eight-ton Deinocheirus wades through an Asian wetland in search of relief from pesky biting flies. A female Quetzalcoatlus builds and guards her nest. A mother Masiakasaurus and her family hunt crabs. Elasmosaurs enter an estuary in search of fish.
In the fourth episode, Dromaeosaurs stalk a hadrosaur herd as they cross a freezing river. Male Ornithomimus raid rival nests to bolster their own. Olorotitan raise their offspring on fertile volcanic fields but contend with biting mosquitoes. Troodontids hunt mammals flushed out by a forest fire. A juvenile Antarctopelta scours the forest for a new winter den. Within the snow-covered forest, a tense standoff develops between ancient rivals, Pachyrhinosaurus and Nanuqsaurus.
In the last episode, Austroposeidon level trees in search of fresh foliage. A herd of Triceratops journey through a cave to find an underground clay lick. A male Carnotaurus sets the stage for an extravagant display. A female Qianzhousaurus uses an autumn storm to her advantage while hunting Corythoraptor. A family of Edmontosaurus evade a forest fire, while an Atrociraptor and Ankylosaur reap its rewards. Juvenile Therizinosaurus attempt to climb up to a bee nest. Hatzegopteryx hunts Zalmoxes, and patrols the dense undergrowth and seaspray-battered coastline.
In this episode, David Attenborough travels to Finland to show one of the most extreme examples of seasonal plant life in the Arctic Circle. He also travels to California to see how climate change is affecting giant sequoias. These ancient trees like all other seasonal plants depend on the predictability of the seasons and our current changing climate threatens their survival.