In Japan the arrival
of the cherry blossom
announces the beginning of spring.
The sun's energy brings
color to the landscape.
The earth, as it makes its annual
journey around the sun,
spins on a tilted axis.
And it's this tilt
that creates the seasons.
The advance of the seasons
brings constant change.
As the sun's influence diminishes in the north,
so the deciduous forests of America
begin to shut down
losing their leaves in preparation
for the dark cold months ahead.
One season hands over to another.
Some organisms thrive on decay,
but most must make special
preparations for winter
and a life with little sun.
Whole populations of animals
are now forced to travel great distances
in pursuit of food and warmth.
300,000 Baikal teal gather
to escape from the Siberian winter
by migrating south to Korea -
the world's entire population
in a single flock.
But there are parts of the world
that have no seasons.
In the tropics the sun's rays
strike the earth head on
and their strength is
more or less constant all year round.
That is why the jungle
grows so vigorously
and supports so much life.
This forest covers only 3 percent
of the planet's surface,
but it contains more than 50 percent
of all its plants and animals.
The canopy is particularly rich.
There are monkeys, birds
and millions of species of insects,
exactly how many we have no idea.
The character of the forest
changes as we descend,
becoming ever darker and damper,
favoring different kinds
of animals and plants.
Less than 2 percent
of the sunlight reaches the floor,
but even here there is
extraordinary variety.
In the great island of New Guinea
there are 42 different species
of birds of paradise,
each more bizarre than the last.
This forest is so rich
that nourishing food can be gathered very quickly.
That leaves the male
six-plumed bird of paradise
with time to concentrate
on other matters
like tidying up his display area.
Everything must be spick and span.
All is ready.
Very impressive,
but no one is watching.
The superb bird of paradise
calls to attract a female.
And he has more luck.
But what does he have to do
to really impress her?
She retires to consider her verdict.
It's hard not to feel deflated
when even your best
isn't good enough.
The sun influences life in the oceans
just as it does on land.
Its richest parts are those
where waves and currents
bring fertilizing nutrients
to surface waters
that are bathed in sunlight.
The seas off the Cape in South Africa
have this magic recipe
and are hugely productive.
Summer is the time of plenty
and it's now that the seals
start to breed.
The strike of a great white shark
lasts a mere second.
Slowing it down forty times
reveals the technique
and immense strength
of this massive predator.
If surprise fails,
there will be a chase.
The shark is faster
on a straight course
but it can't turn
as sharply as the seal,
its agility versus power.
Once the seals have finished breeding
the giant sharks will move on.
It's now becoming clear
that great whites migrate
thousands of miles across the oceans
to harvest seasonal abundances
in different seas.
The sun, beating down
on tropical waters,
powers the weather systems
of the globe.
Moisture evaporates
from the
and rises to create
great storms.
The winds generated out at sea
sweep inland across the continents.
As they travel across the Sahara
they create the biggest
of all sand storms
blowing sand halfway
round the world
to fertilize the Amazon jungle.
Winds blowing across the Indian Ocean
collect moisture and sweep northwards
towards the Himalayas.
As the air rises,
so it cools.
The water it carries
condenses into clouds
and then falls as the life giving
rains of the monsoon.
So air currents
powered by the sun
carry wet air to the middle of continents.
Without water
there can be no life,
but its distribution
over the land is far from even.
Deserts cover one third
of the land's surface
and they're growing bigger
every year.
This is the Kalahari Desert
in Southern Africa.
It's the dry season
and thousands of elephants
have started to travel
in desperate search for water.
All across Southern Africa animals
are journeying for the same reason.
Buffalo join the great trek.
Nowhere else on Earth
are so many animals on the move
with the same urgent purpose.
They're all heading
for the swamps of the Okavango,
a vast inland delta.
At the moment it is dry,
but water is coming.
The travelers are hampered
by dangerous dust storms.
Females and calves can easily get
separated from the main herd.
For this pair sanctuary lies
in the patch of woodland a few miles ahead.
They can't rest
until they reach it.
The main has already
got there safely.
Finally, the stragglers
emerge from the dust.
The exhausted calf is
still blinded by sand.
Its mother does
everything possible to help it.
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