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Abstract

Length: 3 min Watch the fascinating cycle through which plants obtain the mineral nutrients that they need to grow. Plants “eat” mineral nutrients like phosphorous or potassium from the soil and rock that their roots grow in. But this natural resource is limited. To prevent running out of nutrients, hyphae (long thread-like cells of fungi that are attached to roots) recycle phosphorus from falling leaves, and return it to the trees. In dry landscapes plants take up their phosphorus directly from rock. See the fundamental difference of ecosystems in different climates. An animated science movie designed and produced by Friedhelm von Blanckenburg from GFZ Potsdam, Germany, Michaela Dippold from Universität Göttingen, Germany, and Andreas Schulz from Filmbüro Potsdam, Germany within the DFG Project ““EarthShape – Earth Surface Shaping by Biota”.