The tideland is inhabited by shells, snails and worms. What does that mean for the soil? Scientists examine these animals in the lab and photograph them with a special camera. They discover how worms ventilate the soil and oxidate toxic hydrogen sulphide into harmless sulphur. This reworking of the soil – bioturbation – keeps the sediment granular and permeable. Without these animals, life in the tidelands would be less diverse and the sand would be stinking mud!

Concept: Starting point is a scientific computer simulation. The film tells the “story behind”.

Production: for Max Planck Society
Author: Nicola Wettmarshausen
Length: 6.04 min.