National Geographic February 1999

Ants and Plants- -A Profitable Partnership
In nutrient- poor forests ants and plants have evolved to meet each other’s needs. Rare photographs from Borneo show the only known swimming ants helping their hosts – – pitcher plants – – digest other insects.
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; Wilderness Headcount}
In the remote reaches of Peru’s Vilcabamba region, scientists race to catalogue the area’s biological wealth – and perhaps earn it vital protection.
Forest Elephants
In a remote clearing in the Central African Republic, biologist Andrea Turkalo observes the lives of endangered animals that until recently were only glimpsed through the trees.
Under Antarctic Ice
Diving beneath a stark, frozen desert, ocean explorers discover a world of startling color, clarity, and life.
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; In Search of Solutions}
Around the world, the fight is on to save our planet’s rich biodiversity
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; The Sixth Extinction}
Earth’s sixth great extinction is underway, and could exterminate half of all species within the next century.
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; The Variety of Life}
Faced with thousands of rapidly vanishing species, biologists strive to comprehend Earth’s staggering biodiversity.
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; Biodiversity: Taking Stock of Life}
Hosting an astonishing array of living things, our hospitable planet is becoming less so for many species. An introduction to this special issue.
The Millennium Series/ Biodiversity { Biodiversity: The Fragile Web; Restoring Madagascar}
Madagascar’s forests and their endemic species are under assault. An expanding network of national parks, however, may preserve some of the island’s unique natural legacy.
Diatoms, Plants With a Touch of Glass
Under a high- powered microscope the silica shells of single- celled algae are revealed in all their manifold beauty.