PLANET EARTH Jungles

Generations of choosy females have driven the evolution of these remarkable displays. The more extravagant a male is, the more likely he'll be noticed. New Guinea lies in a warm tropical belt that girdles our planet around the equator. With abundant rainfall and twelve hours of daylight three hundred and sixty five days a year, it's here that rainforests flourish.



Surprisingly only two percent of the sunlight filters down to the forest floor. Down here seedlings struggle to grow but the gloom is not eternal. The death of a forest giant is always saddening but it has to happen if the forest is to remain healthy. The sudden blaze of sunlight will bring life to the forest floor. A single hectare of rainforest may contain as many as 250 species of tree.



That's nearly ten times the number that grow in Britain and the thirst for light triggers a race for a place in the sun. There's no time to waste. A seed that may have fallen only a few days ago, now bursts through the leaf litter. With so many competitors, getting a good start is critical but each plant has its own particular strategy for making the most of this rare opportunity.