Link to Life in the undergrowth: 4- Intimate relations documentary
Documentary Description
The penultimate episode focuses on the relationships between
invertebrates and plants or other animals. It begins with ants and
aphids: the former 'herd' the latter and protect them in return for
secreted honeydew. The activities of gall-inducing insects are
described, using the example of the oak tree. Many plants recruit
insects to aid pollination, offering nectar for doing so, and some
predators have adopted camouflage to take advantage of this, such as the
crab spider. Stick insects rely on ants to hide their eggs underground
for them in safety. In the Californian desert, the blister beetle's
larvae congregate on a stem and, by releasing a pheromone, attract a
male digger bee on the lookout for a female. They climb aboard their
visitor and eventually transfer to its mate, which will in turn
unwittingly deposit them in its nest — providing sustenance. An orchard
spider is shown enduring a parasitic wasp grub, which injects its host
with a hormone that deranges it and halts the spinning of webs. The grub
then sucks the liquid from the spider's body and uses the remaining
silk to form its cocoon. Fairy wasps are so small that they can lay
their eggs inside those of water beetles — and can even mate while
inside them. The tiger beetle larva ambushes ants by plugging its burrow
with its head and pouncing. However, this doesn't work with methoca, an
ant-like wasp, which can overcome the beetle and inject it with poison.
