[TICKING].
[ALARM].
[FIREWORKS].
♪ ♪
CHARLIE: WHAT'S UP GUYS?
I'M CHARLIE, THAT'S KIRBY.
KIRBY: HEY!
CHARLIE: AND TODAY WE'RE BACK COUNTRY CAMPING
IN EVERGLADES PARK.
WHY?
BECAUSE KIRBY LIKES WRESTLING CROCODILES.
KIRBY: UM, NO.
CHARLIE: WE'RE ACTUALLY HERE TO CHECK OUT SOME OF THE
COOLEST TREES IN THE ENTIRE WORLD,
THESE GUYS AROUND ME, MANGROVES.
ALRIGHT, SO FIRST, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND.
WHILE PAT WAS AWAY AT SCHOOL, KIRBY AND I DECIDED TO TAKE A
QUICK TRIP DOWN THE SOUTHERN TIP OF FLORIDA FOR
A LITTLE CANOEING, WHICH TURNED INTO A LOT OF CANOEING,
LIKE A LOT OF CANOEING.
LIKE 27 HOURS OF CANOEING OVER THE COURSE OF THREE DAYS,
SO MUCH CANOEING.
WE SPENT ALMOST THE WHOLE TIME NAVIGATING THROUGH THESE
INSANE TREE TUNNELS, HOW NEAT ARE THESE?
SUPER NEAT, AND CONFUSING.
WE GOT LOST A FEW TIMES, BUT WE FIGURED OUT THAT THESE
TUNNELS WERE PRETTY MUCH ENTIRELY MADE OF TREES
CALLED MANGROVES.
ALRIGHT, THERE ARE A BUNCH DIFFERENT OF KINDS OF
MANGROVES IN THE WORLD, BUT THE ONES AROUND ME ARE
CALLED RED MANGROVES.
WHY RED MANGROVES?
I HONESTLY HAVE NO IDEA, BUT I DO KNOW THEY'RE SOME
PRETTY COOL TREES.
ALRIGHT, SO IN THE WORLD OF MANGROVES YOU'VE
GOT WHITE MANGROVES THAT LOOK PRETTY NORMAL.
BLACK MANGROVES WHICH ARE A LITTLE STRANGE,
YOU'VE GOT A COUPLE OTHER KINDS THAT MAY
OR MAY NOT EXIST AND RED MANGROVES,
WHICH ARE DEFINITELY THE CRAZIEST LOOKING
MANGROVES OUT THERE.
I MEAN FOR ONE THING, CHECK IT OUT,
THEY LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE A BUNCH OF LITTLE,
TINY TRUNKS THAT ARE TANGLED UP IN A BIG OLD MESS.
THESE ARE ACTUALLY ROOTS,
CALLED PROP ROOTS OR STILT ROOTS.
YEAH, SO EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE ABOVE GROUND,
THEY'RE ACTUALLY A PART OF THE ROOT SYSTEM OF THE TREE.
IT'S LIKE A SUPER SPECIAL KIND OF ROOT,
CALLED A PROP ROOT.
AND, THEY'RE PRETTY IMPORTANT TO THE FUNCTION OF
THE ENTIRE TREE.
WITHOUT THESE PROP ROOTS, RED MANGROVES WOULDN'T SURVIVE,
AND NEITHER WOULD THIS ENTIRE FLORIDA COASTLINE.
SO WE'RE RIGHT NEAR THE OCEAN RIGHT NOW,
AND TIDES, WAVES, AND STORM SURGES BEAT DOWN REALLY HARD
ON THE COAST.
WHAT THESE PROP ROOTS DO,
IS THEY SLOW THINGS DOWN A LITTLE,
KIND OF LIKE A BREAK WALL AT THE BEACH.
THEY CAUSE SEDIMENT TO SETTLE DOWN AND,
CHECK IT OUT, THIS ACTUALLY PUSHES THE
COASTLINE OUT QUITE A BIT, BECAUSE IT PREVENTS DIRT AND
STUFF FROM GETTING WASHED AWAY.
YEAH, SO THIS IS ALL KIND OF COOL,
I MEAN, THEY KEEP THE LAND IN PLACE,
PRETTY NEAT, BUT I MEAN THAT JUST SEEMS TO COME AS
A RESULT OF THE WAY THEY'RE SHAPED.
THE QUESTION IS, WHY ARE THEY SHAPED THAT WAY
IN THE FIRST PLACE?
SO THIS IS ACTUALLY A TOUGH QUESTION,
BUT WE THINK WE'VE FIGURED IT OUT.
SO, LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT.
ALRIGHT, STRAP ON THOSE GOGGLES,
LET'S DO THIS.
KIRBY: CASEY SCIENCE, TAKE 4, ROLLING.
CHARLIE: COOL, COOL, COOL, SO WHY ARE RED MANGROVES
SHAPED SO WEIRD?
WELL, THIS IS WHY, BECAUSE TREES NEED OXYGEN TO SURVIVE.
WHICH IS LITTLE COUNTERINTUITIVE RIGHT,
BECAUSE EVERYONE KNOWS TREES RELEASE OXYGEN AS A
RESULT OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS?
THAT'S TRUE, BUT THEY DO USE A LITTLE BIT OF OXYGEN,
TOO FOR THE SAME REASONS THAT WE DO,
IT'S CALLED RESPIRATION, OR BASICALLY THE PROCESS OF
BURNING FUEL OR ENERGY.
IT LOOKS LIKE THIS: SO, WE HAVE ENERGY OR FUEL IN THE
FORM OF CARBS AND FATS, AND TO THAT WE ADD SOME
STUFF LIKE OXYGEN, AND BOOM THAT'S WHEN THE MAGIC HAPPENS,
WE BURN THAT ENERGY FUEL TO RUN OUR BODIES.
SO, PLANTS DO THIS PRETTY MUCH IN THE SAME WAY.
AND IN CELLS THAT PERFORM PHOTOSYNTHESIS,
LIKE IN THE LEAVES AND BRANCHES,
IT'S NO REAL PROBLEM AT ALL, BECAUSE THE OXYGEN THEY MAKE
ALLOWS THEM TO BURN THAT ENERGY FUEL.
BUT WHAT ABOUT IN THE CELLS THAT DON'T
PERFORM PHOTOSYNTHESIS?
LIKE CELLS IN THE ROOTS?
THEY CAN'T MAKE OXYGEN DOWN THERE,
SO WHAT HAPPENS?
HOW DO THEY USE UP ENERGY?
WELL, MOST TREES GET A BIT OF OXYGEN FROM THE
TINY BIT OF AIR THAT EXISTS IN THE DIRT!
THEY JUST SOAK IT RIGHT UP.
SO, BOOM, RESPIRATION CAN HAPPEN DOWN THERE
WITHOUT ANY ISSUES.
BUT, MANGROVES CAN'T DO THIS BECAUSE THEY LIVE IN WATER.
WHICH ACTUALLY KIND OF PRESENTS A MAJOR PROBLEM,
BECAUSE IT'S SUPER HARD TO GET OXYGEN WHEN
YOU'RE UNDER WATER.
WHICH IS TOUGH BECAUSE, REMEMBER,
TREES NEED OXYGEN.
SO LET'S PRETEND THAT OUR LITTLE TREE HERE IS GROWING
IN SOME WATER.
SINCE THE SOIL IS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED,
THERE'S NO AIR DOWN THERE.
YOU KNOW HOW YOU OR I CAN'T BREATHE UNDER WATER,
WELL NEITHER CAN ROOTS.
THEY CAN'T GET THE OXYGEN THEY NEED,
THEY CAN'T USE UP ENERGY FUEL,
RESPIRATION LIKE STRAIGHT UP DOESN'T HAPPEN,
THE ROOTS DIE, THE WHOLE TREE'S DEAD,
AND EVERYTHING IS JUST COMPLETELY HORRIBLE.
UNLESS, YOU HAVE PROP ROOTS.
OH, MAN, PROP ROOTS, MAJOR GAME CHANGER,
TURNING EVERYTHING AROUND FOR THE RED MANGROVES.
SO WE NEED TO GET OXYGEN TO THOSE
UNDERWATER ROOTS SOMEHOW.
THE PROP ROOTS STRETCH ALL THE WAY ABOVE THE WATER LINE,
WHERE THEY CAN GET TO THAT OXYGEN.
SO, PROP ROOT KIND OF ACT LIKE A SNORKEL.
PROVIDING OXYGEN TO THE PARTS OF THE PLANT
THAT ARE UNDERWATER.
THEY SOAK UP OXYGEN ABOVE THE WATER,
AND TRANSPORT IT DOWN TO THE ROOTS BELOW THE WATER.
YEAH, RIGHT?
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR!
SO, NOW ALL THAT ENERGY FUEL CAN BE ADDED TO THAT OXYGEN,
LET CHEMISTRY DO ITS THING, YOU KNOW,
A LITTLE REACTION HERE, A LITTLE REACTION THERE AND,
WE'RE BURNING THAT ENERGY FUEL NO PROBLEM.
SO, BREAKING IT DOWN SUPER SIMPLY.
ROOTS NEED OXYGEN.
ROOTS IN WATER CAN'T GET OXYGEN.
PROP ROOTS SUPPLY OXYGEN TO UNDERWATER ROOTS.
BOOM, DONE, THAT'S EASY.
SO ALL OF THIS IS PRETTY NEAT.
BUT WE CAN'T TALK ABOUT MANGROVES WITHOUT MENTIONING
THE COOLEST PLANT TRAIT PROBABLY/MOST DEFINITELY EVER.
THE MOST AMAZING THING ABOUT MANGROVES IS THE WAY
THAT THEY MAKE MORE MANGROVES.
ONE WORD, VIVIPARY!
VIVIPARY, HOW MANGROVES MAKE MORE MANGROVES.
THIS IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND.
BUT FIRST, LET'S THINK ABOUT THE WAY THAT MOST TREES
MAKE MORE TREES.
ALRIGHT, SO MOST TREES DEVELOP SEEDS,
DROP THEM TO THE GROUND, AND THEN THOSE SEED START
GROWING ONLY AFTER THEY'RE AWAY FROM THE TREE.
YEAH THAT MAKE SENSE, TREES MAKE SEEDS,
THEN THEY DROP THEM TO THE GROUND,
AND THEN THOSE SEEDS GROW.
SEEMS PRETTY STRAIGHT FORWARD.
LIKE AN OAK TREE, MAKES ACORNS,
THAT FALL TO THE GROUND, AND THEN THEY GROW IN THE DIRT.
THAT'S HOW THEY MAKE MORE OAK TREES.
BUT, TO MAKE MORE MANGROVES, MANGROVES DO SOMETHING THAT'S
JUST A LITTLE DIFFERENT.
IT'S CALLED, VIVIPARY.
THEIR SEEDS GERMINATE AND START GROWING BEFORE THEY'VE
EVEN FALLEN OFF THE TREE.
SO, THIS IS WHAT MANGROVE SEED PODS LOOK LIKE.
YOU CAN SEE THEY'RE STILL ON THE MANGROVE TREE,
BUT THEY'VE ALREADY STARTED GROWING,
THEY HAVE LITTLE LEAVES ON THE TOP AND ON THE BOTTOM
THEY HAVE THESE TINY, LITTLE, TINY ROOTS!
SO, HERE'S THE BASIC JOURNEY OF A MANGROVE SEED POD.
IF WE ZOOM IN ON THIS MANGROVE A BIT WE CAN SEE
THAT IT HAS SEED PODS ALREADY!
SWEET!
AND LOOK THEY HAVE ROOTS TOO!
AWESOME.
THEY'RE ALIVE AND GROWING ALREADY!
EVENTUALLY, THEY'LL FALL OFF THE TREE INTO THE WATER,
WHERE THEY'LL FLOAT DOWNSTREAM A BIT UNTIL THEY
HIT A NICE PIECE OF SOIL AND ANCHOR THEMSELVES THERE
WITH THEIR ALREADY EXISTING ROOTS,
THEN THEY'LL KEEP GROWING.
SO, IT'S ALMOST LIKE THEY HAD A HEAD START A LITTLE.
NOT SURE ABOUT YOU GUYS, BUT THIS KIND OF BLEW MY MIND.
JUST SIT BACK AND THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A BIT,
THIS IS BASICALLY THE PLANT EQUIVALENT OF LIVE BIRTH.
THE SEEDS GERMINATE AND DEVELOP ROOTS BEFORE
THEY EVEN LEAVE THE TREE.
CHARLIE'S GETTING PRETTY HYPED UP,
SO IS OUR SCIENTIST.
WE'RE PRETTY INTO MANGROVES OVER HERE.
SO, BOOM.
VIVIPARY, LIVE TREE BIRTH, MANGROVES,
HAMMERS, KIRBY, SKETCHY PARK SIGNS, CANOEING, AWESOME.
[FIREWORKS].