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Description
Flevoland is an area in Holland which has been reclaimed from Ijsselmeer. The film is about the ecological succession, man-managed, on these new reclaimed lands or 'polders'. The succession is trac...ed from the stage when the water of the freshwater lake was first pumped out, leaving bare mud, to the point where today the land is used for modern agriculture, recreation purposes, and as nature reserves. The film examines the role of pioneer species such as Phragmites communis. Some animal species are investigated in relation to the ecology of invasions of new land, e.g. carabid beetles, the mole, and some meadow birds. Stem and rhizome boring caterpillars are seen and some suggestions are made regarding the possible biological significance in the succession.
Flevoland is an area in Holland which has been reclaimed from Ijsselmeer. The film is about the ecological succession, man-managed, on these new reclaimed lands or 'polders'. The succession is trac...ed from the stage when the water of the freshwater lake was first pumped out, leaving bare mud, to the point where today the land is used for modern agriculture, recreation purposes, and as nature reserves. The film examines the role of pioneer species such as Phragmites communis. Some animal species are investigated in relation to the ecology of invasions of new land, e.g. carabid beetles, the mole, and some meadow birds. Stem and rhizome boring caterpillars are seen and some suggestions are made regarding the possible biological significance in the succession.
| Module code and title: | S323, Ecology |
|---|---|
| Item code: | S323; 12 |
| First transmission date: | 06-08-1974 |
| Published: | 1974 |
| Rights Statement: | |
| Restrictions on use: | |
| Duration: | 00:23:22 |
| + Show more... | |
| Producer: | Edward Milner |
| Contributors: | Irene Ridge; Jim Stevenson; H. de Jong; J. H. Mook; R. Hengeveld |
| Publisher: | BBC Open University |
| Keyword(s): | Ecological succession; Holland; Land reclamation; Pioneer species |
| Footage description: | The programme looks at the man managed ecological succession on lands newly reclaimed from Ijsselmeer. Film shots, taken in 1932, show the mouth of the Zuider Zee being closed with heavy machinery to create an inland lake - Ijsselmeer. Shots of modern Ijsselmeer, now a fresh water lake. Irene Ridge on a polder reclaimed from Ijsselmeer. She provides the commentary for film shots showing the history of the polder. Shots of South Flevoland farmland which was reclaimed from Ijsselmeer. Shots of the area after dykes were built and draining begun. Shots of areas of the polder mud with Senecio congestus, the pioneer species, growing on it. Irene Ridge in a field of Senecio congestus. She pulls up a single plant and examines the root system. She also points out the large hollow stem of the plant. Irene Ridge explains the method by which Senecio congestus spreads. She holds up a handful of its seeds. Shots of the celery leaved buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus, another pioneer inhabitant of the polder. Shots of an undrained low lying area of the polder. This area is ideal for several species of wading birds. Shots of several of these birds. Shots of the false bullrush (Typha latifolia) growing on the mudflats. Irene Ridge pulls up one of these plants and points out the caterpillar infestation (Archanara spp.). Shots of a stem boring caterpillar on a rush. Irene Ridge in a field of perennial secondary plants Phragmites comtaunis which inhabit the polder after the soil has been sufficiently dried out by Senecio congestus. She explains how the plant is first sown and how it spreads afterwards. Shots of underground risomes and horizontal runners. Diagram shows growth of Phragmites by vegetative means over a 3 year period. Shots of a large field of phragmites. Irene Ridge explains how these plants dry out the soil very rapidly. Aerial, infra-red photograph of an area of the polder over a 4 year period show the spread of phragmites and Typha latifolia at the expense of Senecio congestus. Shots of a dyke being constructed using willow branches as a major structural component. Commentary by Irene Ridge explains the process. Irene Ridge examines the soil in a low part of the polder and explains its composition. Shots of a 3 dimensional model of the Flevoland polder. Irene Ridge points out that it is an island approachable only by several bridges. Several animal species found in the polder are examined in relation to the ecology of invasion of the new land. Shots of an ecologist collecting insects. Shots of a carabid beetle. Shots of a mole. Diagrams show the spread of the mole population on the polder over a 10 year period. Shots of phragmites fields being burned and plowed over for use as agricultural land. Shots of fields of rape seeds (Brassica oleracea) the first cash crop to be grown on the reclaimed land. Shots of winter wheat growing on the reclaimed land. Several phragmites plants, now a weed, can be seen among the wheat. Shots of hay being cut in an area of the polder which is designated a grassland reserve. Ridge discusses some of the grass species established there. Still shots of several species of ground nesting birds. The spread of breeding pairs on the polder over a 5 year period is shown on a map. Shots of a polder woodland reserve, points out some of its features. Shots of a fen like nature reserve which was artificially created on the polder. Commentary by Irene Ridge explains how it was done. Shots of phragmites beds which were not burned or plowed up. The ground here is now quite dry and the plants suffer from a heavy infestation of rhizome and stem borer caterpillars. Shots of both these caterpillars and also their adult, moth form. Irene Ridge explains how these insects help the plant succession on the polder to continue without human management. Credits (over film shots of the polder). |
| Master spool number: | 6HT/71318 |
| Production number: | 00525_1129 |
| Videofinder number: | 1036 |
| Available to public: | no |
