Plant wars - 2009 Christmas Lecture one

Plants are winning the war!

Since the emergence of animals on land more than 300 million years ago plants have been attacked by animals wanting to eat them. But what's surprising is that the plants are winning the war against animals! Despite their best efforts, animals only manage to eat around a fifth of the available vegetation. In this lecture we find out why eating plants is not as easy as it looks.

Games

These games are suitable for keyboard users. To play, use the Tab, Enter and arrow keys.

Experiments to try at home

You've learnt about the amazing secrets that lurk in nettle leaves, now try out their awesome power for yourself! Nettle vs balloon.

Watch the video

The lovely people at Sea Spring seeds donated the Dorset Naga plants to inflict all this pain on poor Adam.