https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/f520301a-bb66-4e1a-9200-fb3f80c496a8 Join this channel to get access to perks: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCddem5RlB3bQe99wyY49g0g/join Join us on Patreon. Visit https://www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Visit our website www.PeriscopeFilm.com "This Vital Earth" (1948) is the second film in Encyclopaedia Britannica Films' "Living Earth" series. It shows with many examples the interdependence of plant and animal life and the dependence of the land upon past living forms for its productive power. It explains the far-reaching effects of an upset in the balance of the living community. The film was made by John H. Storer (story & cinematography), George E. Brewer, Jr. (producer), and John C. Gibbs (music). The film discusses the crucial role of topsoil in sustaining the "chain of life" and the interconnectedness of plants, animals, and their environment. It explains how ecosystems evolve through cycles of growth and decay, with each plant and animal contributing to the balance of the community. Insects and predators help control populations, ensuring that no species overconsumes resources. It also highlights the importance of maintaining healthy soil, as it directly impacts plant and animal health. It presents experiments showing how soil quality and the right balance of nutrients affect crop yields and animal well-being. The piece emphasizes that conservation is key to sustaining the balance of nature, ensuring that the land and water can continue to support life. Ultimately, it calls for harmony with nature to reap its benefits and avoid exploitation. 00:00 The importance of topsoil, which is essential for life, is introduced. It is the result of nature's processes involving sunlight, plants, and animals, all of which depend on each other. 1:00 – Timelapse images of plants, swarms of ants. The balance and organization of the living community in nature are discussed, including the interdependency of plants, animals, and their environment (soil and water). 1:17 – A story begins in a marsh with water lillies, showing the process of ecological change as plants and trees grow, die, and contribute to the soil, allowing new plants to take their place and form a coordinated community. 2:32 – The role of insects in maintaining balance is explored, as they help pollinate plants and act as food for predators, which in turn control insect populations. Butterflies shown. This maintains a natural equilibrium: hawks, owls and rodents shown. 3:57 – The principles of interdependence apply to life in water as well. Plankton, which is essential for fish, can only thrive in clear water, and the health of aquatic life is dependent on the condition of the surrounding land. 4:41 – Bream fish, which depend on plankton, are shown to overpopulate the pond, requiring the introduction of predatory fish like bass to maintain balance. Fishermen help by controlling the bass population. 5:22 – A demonstration of how the balance of species is important, with bass and bream shown to maintain a healthy ecosystem by keeping each other in check. 6:00 – A grain of corn illustrates how plants build useful elements in the soil, similar to how minerals from the past are recorded in fossils. 6:56 – The effects of soil depletion are discussed. When crops are harvested without replenishing the soil, minerals are lost, which affects the quality of future crops and the well-being of animals and people. 7:00 – An example of animals suffering from a lack of cobalt in the soil, which affects their health despite eating grass. 7:14 – Dr. William Albre’s experiment at the University of Missouri demonstrates how different types of fertilizers impact the quality of hay and the animals fed on it. The quality of soil affects the nutritional value of food. 8:00 – Further tests on hay and soil quality show how soil deficiencies (like a lack of lime) affect animal health and reproduction. Healthy soil leads to healthier animals. 8:39 – The importance of conservation and maintaining balance in nature is emphasized. Prosperity depends on working in harmony with nature’s laws. 9:00 – A call to respect nature’s balance and to avoid misuse, highlighting the ongoing importance of conservation for sustaining life Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyzfUr6yqXU Mirrored from Periscope Film (https://www.youtube.com/@PeriscopeFilm) Sat, 13 Jun 2026 15:06:32 GMT https://validator.w3.org/feed/docs/rss2.html PeerTube - https://peertube.dngr.us https://peertube.dngr.us/lazy-static/avatars/41a6fee9-7f57-42d0-a5fc-5db4f1af2e31.png https://peertube.dngr.us/videos/watch/f520301a-bb66-4e1a-9200-fb3f80c496a8 All rights reserved, unless otherwise specified in the terms specified at https://peertube.dngr.us/about and potential licenses granted by each content's rightholder.