The ECOSYSTEM inside my LARGEST Terrarium │ Large Woodland Terrarium - 6 Month Update

In this video we take a look at my Large Woodland Terrarium. This ecosystem is contained within an aquarium. It provides the most amount of space out of any container I have used so far.
Within this terrarium many plant species have established. Yellow Pimpernel seems to be quite rare though. I hope it continues to grow and increases in number as it's one of my favourite plants. Woodland Sorrel has also colonized various areas and seems to be producing seed. I reckon in the future it may end up covering large portions of this terrarium. Some species of moss have been heavily grazed, whilst others are doing fine. It seems as though the isopods have a preference towards eating softer, more delicate mosses. There is a species of plant inside this terrarium that I couldn't identify. It seems to be doing well and I predict it'll spread further. Hopefully I can ID it or a subscriber could help me.
A colony of mushrooms has appeared that provide food for a majority of the invertebrates within this terrarium. I managed to catch a pretty cool interaction between the fungi and the fern in this video. I've never witnessed an interaction like this before. I was very pleased to be able to share it with my subscribers.
Various species of invertebrate are present including Garlic snails, Armadillidium isopods, Soil centipedes and Springtails. The Armadillidiums have bred a lot over the past 6 months. Springtails have also reproduced dramatically in this time scale. There are 3 noticeable species of springtail, which all coexist side by side. The Garlic snails have also reproduced, however I'm unsure whether or not the Soil centipedes have. I've only ever seen two at the same time.
I was very pleased to be able to capture footage of the Soil Centipede hunting both isopods and garlic snails. The centipedes are not adapted for hunting such armoured prey and would usually hunt earthworms and beetle larvae in the wild. It'll be interesting to see if they'll be able to keep the prey populations under control.
If you'd like to see this terrariums development from the start click the link below:
• Building my BIGGEST Ec...

[@Jartopia]

Hey guys, been a while. Hope everyone's doing alright. This video was a lot of fun to film. I was really happy to be able to showcase the mushroom fern interaction. I've never seen something like this happen in a terrarium of mine before! If you enjoy the content please don't forget to like and subscribe as it really helps me out. EDIT: The mystery plant turned out to be Wood Speedwell (Veronica montana)! Thank you to Filip Tomaszewski for the ID.

[@BrainFreezeMC]

I love your videos!!!

[@dankyjoker]

Glad to see you're doing OK, the RONA didn't get ya, good to hear!

[@NitronNeutron]

I am not an expert butI mean the mushroom is the sex organ og the fungi so it kind of makes sense that it spreads to the fern with spores (usually this would occur in the ground) Does the interaction repeat?

[@mcbooj6388]

It’s great to see you again! What kind of bulbs do you use to provide light and energy for your enclosures? I’m hoping to start one myself

[@Kuwagumo]

Were super happy youre back! Love your videos🖤. Btw, did u discover what was this weird realtion between the fungus and the fern? I'm very curious about it

[@iamgroot3403]

Hi, I'm a mycologist and the red stuff isn't fungus itself, it is the spores from the mushroom carried by an updraft to the fern. The white spots are the new generation of mycelium growing on the leaves to repeat the cycle again. Truly beautiful to see!

[@MaQuGo119]

I tought you were Groot.

[@justapikachuwithapistol75]

@@MaQuGo119 same😂

[@daviscrawford8452]

This is how we are going to eventually become zombies

[@Rio_Takahash1]

Nice

[@bhadrachatterjee9163]

No u are groot

[@greensun5998]

The mushroom/fern interaction could be the deposition of Fungi spores on the leaves. As there is no air flow to disperse the spores they simple settle on the nearby leaves instead.

[@Jartopia]

That's a brilliant explanation thank you.

[@BlackReshiram]

homestuck police here, youre arrested also true, i was thinking the same thing about the spores but for some reason didnt think that the air flow had to do with it

[@ADPax10]

I don't understand. As far as little I know about mycology, don't mushroom bodies tend to spill their spores (post-veil split) almost entirely beneath and directly around it, assuming no or minimal airflow? Unless I saw it incorrectly, it looked like the leaf was directly above the fruiting body.

[@jadusiv]

@@ADPax10 When no airflow is present, mushrooms can use water vapor loss to create slow airflows that carry spores out from under the mushroom cap and potentially tens of centimeters into the air.

[@ADPax10]

@@jadusiv Holy crap that is awesome! That is a "smart" organism.

[@homogobius]

I can't understand English well, but I know this video is great

[@angelatolfa442]

I love how the language barrier is just broken. You could probably speak no english and love it just as much.

[@SamM-kn6ck]

X2

[@kiirck8371]

Too

[@user-np9tg3jj1v]

Why I feel like I'm in another world seeing this?! Music goes really well, exellent edition, Beautiful 👌✨

[@kazikek2674]

In a sense you are. A very miniature version of an ancient world.

[@user-np9tg3jj1v]

@@kazikek2674 You're right 👌✨ I seeing this for third time

[@dragonfusilier9173]

The unidentified plants look to be a juvenile nettle. I'm not certain, but the hairy stalk and more rounded leaf shape makes me think so.

[@Jartopia]

I also could see it being a species of nettle. I couldn't identify the species though.

[@KeruuKat]

i thought it looked like dead nettle but it didn't have the square stem that the mint family has. I don't know why i didn't think of an actual nettle, that would make much more sense! It most likely is some form of nettle.

[@filiptomaszewski4506]

@@Jartopia It is called a wood speedwell. (Veronica montana). A pretty shady woodland groundcover

[@Jartopia]

@@filiptomaszewski4506 That is it thank you so much!

[@somethingsafoot]

JARTOPIA UPLOAD THIS IS NOT A DRILL

[@JordanBeagle]

I love that isopods being crustaceans seem clumsier than insects, think that makes them cuter

[@Brian-co6se]

I put water and mud from a stream in a jar today because of your videos! I’ve already seen worms, an isopod, and some small flagellate looking things swimming around. Keep up the great content!

[@TheVacationist]

Same. I have a 1½ year old ecosphere from a forest stream. By now the only creatures left are worms and ostracods, but they are thriving. Lots of algae action going on down there, too, and some greenery left at the top.

[@pjp9383]

I started a few terrariums this fall, using plants and dirt from the yard and local ravine. Inadvertently managed to get an earthworm in one of then, and didn't know it for a couple of months. So have spent the last couple of months trying to make sure it has enough to eat, while never seeing it. Until yesterday! Yay! The springtails are doing great, and it looks like the isopods have started to reproduce. I have more centipedes in the jars than I really want (they ick me out) but overall, I am loving my little ecosystems, and their inhabitants. 💙💚🧡

[@yeetusdeletus1827]

@@pjp9383 Funfact: Don't worry too much about having too many Centipedes, they are cannibals after all!

[@LOL-bs1hg]

hows it going now?

[@Cyberdragunz]

Your videos are always so calming to watch. I love the isopods, could watch footage of them going about their lives for hours. I've been fascinated with them ever since I was a kid. Thanks for the update, hope all is well!

[@mooster2095]

new video!!! I'm so happy 💝😊😊

[@illofation7879]

I love these day-by-day bits. Definitely will be following you in your journey!

[@thornhedge9639]

The plant @1:04 looks very much like Stinging Nettle". The stuff all over the fern from the mushroom is the spores of the mushroom. that's why it died. The mushroom is the flower; once it casts its spores it's done. The spores produce more mycelium underground and the cycle begins again moving outwards from the mushrooms flower. The expansion is why many mushrooms are found in circles, it is marching outward in all directions from a central point.

[@heatley1]

That was one of the most beautiful displays of life I’ve ever witnessed. Thank you for sharing❤️

[@Sleepyjew]

Awesome video man! Thanks for taking the time to build this and share the video too!

[@elLocodelsubte]

DUDE! this episode was AWSOME! thank you so much.

[@ausgegebenemanlass.4598]

It would be interesting to see more failed/crashed eco systems, or does this mostly not occur?

[@MyDude199]

Or they occur. Biospheres fail a lot or they have population crashes that make them very species poor.

[@solar0wind]

All the balances are fragile. A big example of this is when they put wolves and deer onto an island together to see predator-prey-interaction. The wolves didn't care about only killing as many deer as they needed. After a few months or years, they'd killed all the deer. Overhunting also occurs in these artificial spaces with way smaller animals.

[@jacobspath1641]

@@solar0wind - usually what happens in ecosystems is the predator population falls due to lack of prey which then leads to the prey population growing again

[@nosks_stopmotions]

I remember once I had a 6 year old biosphere that was about 10 gallons. The downfall of it was started by a fungus outbreak followed by a population decline of 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙄 𝙝𝙖𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙩 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤...

[@nosks_stopmotions]

@Gabriel wot?

[@Mistrudels]

I hope you're doing well! Thanks for the amazing content.

[@wtfBrad]

Was just thinking the other day that I was in need of some relaxing Jartopia vibe. The terrarium is looking amazing! I kinda wish they were longer but I enjoy these regardless. Thanks for sharing this update!

[@mellewedin8221]

I so love this. I keep isopods and spring tails. This spring will be setting up something sim to this. Thank you for sharing. I love the nature.

[@gwynyvyr]

Another wonderful video! Seeing an upload from you absolutely makes my day better!

[@agentmoss8274]

I love watching beautiful ecosystems a in terrarium, just seeing the various species is enjoyable, please do keep posting videos like this

[@ScarletSky03]

@ 2:37 that phenomena you're witnessing is simply the spores from the underside of the mushroom cap spreading around randomly in the air. Variation in air circulation and airflow will change where the spores go. My guess is that since the air is almost entirely self-contained and circulating within almost uniformly, as warm air goes up and cool air drops, the initial spore release follows the upward flow of air and sticks to the fern just above it. The white stuff growing from this is the mycelium that would form new mushrooms if fully developed.

[@haydenrfroehlich7081]

My god these videos are so cool. I can't wait to make my own terrarium when spring comes around.

[@duranimal7368]

Same

[@lilplant9152]

This beauty has truly made my Day so much better

[@stratigraphymajor8196]

Love ur content ! Thanks for the new video. Mushrooms are so cool.

[@davideschiliro]

This channel is very close to becoming my favourite youtube channel

[@aaronnekrin5150]

Yes a new video thanks friend!

[@tinyGrim1]

So pretty & delicate. Those isopods are cute .

[@DiscipleHonsou]

Amazing Terrarium and video! Thank you so much

[@jeremiahemery9194]

Such a cool video. Keep up the good work!

[@ThomasisaNerd]

Your videos never cease to amaze me

[@KrazyCatQueen]

Look how big the fern got! I’d love to see some kind of compilation of the growth of the terrarium side by side sometime.

[@Checker201lol]

Thank you for 10 minutes of peace.

[@papanovembermusic]

Your videos are incredibly absorbing!

[@Chick3nluvver]

so incredibly beautiful. I am excited for the centipede

[@AmbiDai]

i always love your video's, it feel's like im travelling to a different world 😄

[@mackdog3270]

Spores from the mushroom. Though how they got there is a mystery, presuming there's not much of a breeze in the terrarium. Maybe that type of mushroom can shoot it's spores? I know there are some types of plants that can do that.

[@miikakyllonen5871]

Just the touching of the cap on the fern is enough for the fungus to propagate, it's spreading like a film.

[@darylconnolly6877]

Mushrooms often live on the forest floor, under logs or in very tight quarters where wind wouldn't be expected to reach, so they evaporate their own moisture to create their own "wind" and ensure spores have a chance to spread.

[@randyx007]

The spores probably suspend in the water. Those were indeed a bunch of spores from the fruiting body, the mushroom. Also, fungi are very similar to animals on a cellular level and breath/consume O2 so they probably loved being on the plant!

[@maxmurgia642]

Beautiful !!

[@stephenpeTRYCKI]

Beautiful vivarium and great video

[@johanstone]

your best video yet

[@sunnyd9884]

i love isopods and the way they resemble cattle cleaning that fern

[@caliorquiz4623]

Fantastic!!!

[@RepvertYT]

Yes he is back after some months 🎉

[@vreekyinsect16]

Man, this video is beautiful

[@vinigasparini]

Your channel is really interesting!

[@archiesinclair6252]

Amazing. I just started my first one yesterday.

[@iMRUShInLakEch]

Thank you!

[@veronicadavanzo2064]

This is really fun!

[@heatley1]

That was one of the most beautiful cycles of life I’ve ever witnessed.

[@spartakprod]

Amazing, thank you !

[@Xylariales]

I know you didn’t request an ID on the mushroom, but judging by the morphology, substrate, and spore deposit color I would wager that it’s in the genus Psathyrella. Maybe check around P. incerta and P. candolleana. side note: i have been subscribed for nearly 3 years now and i am also a dedicated mycologist so it is so nice seeing my two worlds collide in this video! Absolutely love your videos

[@eclipseeffigy]

The little baby isopod! 😍

[@bendungeon5677]

The addition of a scale or magn. would be a great touch for the scenes with insect animals. It is not light but maybe an estimation. I always admire Your films and look for more!!

[@Mistora_]

The unidentified plant reminded me of catnip, but I can’t say so for sure. Love your videos they are so peaceful and interesting.

[@KeruuKat]

I wouldn't say so, i thought catnip had a square stem? I was thinking a form of nettle.

[@Mistora_]

@@KeruuKat you could be right! I’ve grown catnip at home and it looks very similar to this but you are correct that fully grown large catnip plants do have square stems.

[@KeruuKat]

@@Mistora_ Then it could be young catnip... I was thinking dead nettle at first because it has similar shaped fluffy leaves, and/or henbit but both have square stems as well (All 3 are in the mint family)

[@RoundzMusic]

new video yes yay

[@ramirondongmba2365]

I waited for so long!

[@ertansipahi3556]

Did poor little centipede found something to eat i wonder.

[@jamie_23]

very cool!!!

[@FriendlyKat]

That mushroom has such a quick lifecycle. 4 days til it dies? Really cool stuff to see! This kind of stuff is so cool and fascinating! I love watching nature at its core! PS: Love the music choice too! Perfectly edited video!

[@randyx007]

I love mycology and the fruiting body of the fungi (aka mushroom) covered the plant in spores. Not only that, fungi are typically very similar to animal cells and use O2 for respiration as well. The reason why the fungi took to that plant so fast I would assume!

[@StupidBeyondBelief]

Oh sweet, Jartopia's back

[@MrKanisz]

What a beautiful video again :) Do you have any tips as to how to keep the mosses growing better? Compared to your earlier update, much of the moss has disappeared, and this is what I've also encountered in the three ecospheres i've built so far. Is it too much or too little water? Or too many isopods grazing? Thanks! Love the content. Would you consider making a 'how to build' of a system this big as a future video? :)

[@Cupidite.]

J'adore tes vidéos !

[@Jartopia]

Thank you! It makes me happy that people around the world enjoy my videos!

[@aramisortsbottcher8201]

I love it!

[@ladylamellae]

Those are spore deposits on the fern, the spores often float upwards when released and can wind up settling on the cap or other nearby surfaces. Very common to see on mushrooms in cultivation when they are allowed to sporulate.

[@wiwwy]

I LOVEEEE THESE

[@catbb]

lessgoo 🦋💚

[@IlseMulAuthor]

It's very interesting to see how this is a complete ecosystem in itself. Do you occasionally add things like an apple core or something? Or would that harm the ecosystem? Also, I noticed quite some moss has been eaten already. Do you consider bringing in some new moss, or do you just let everything develop in its own way?

[@1688373]

Hellow. Great video. You inspired me to try and create my own closed eco system, spring is coming, I will do one of my own. Sorry for my english.

[@aramisortsbottcher8201]

English was fine, I wish you success :)

[@Disclosed11]

I feel that you should add a few worms. But all in all it looks amazing, and I’m going to make one of those in a bottle for myself!

[@fish-frenzy8867]

i agree with the spore comments, the white is the mycelium establishing

[@emilytatseos4641]

Do you always keep the light on, or do you turn it off at night? And the filming quality is amazing. Love your work. 🌿🍄☘️🪱🪲🦗🐌🕷️🌱🍂

[@Boodster61]

I definitely need to try to make my own ecosystem

[@ert5419]

Cool

[@whububle4037]

Speed of the mushroom growth could be a mycorrhizal connection between the fern and fungus. Nutrient sharing is definitely happening. Take the fern out of that scenario and the fungus would grow at less than half the rate.

[@aaronmanzon4224]

New Update!!

[@BlackIronCollector]

One thing i really wish to see is how that orange centipede hunts the isopods. I'm imagining it like how anacondas hunt capybaras or something like that.

[@Jartopia]

I actually did record footage of the centipede striking an isopod, but the footage was out of focus. I'm really kicking myself for that because it would of been a fantastic shot if it hadn't of been so blurry.

[@BlackIronCollector]

@@Jartopia That's okay mate, I think I'll make do with centipede 𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 an isopod, and you don't have to blame yourself ;-)

[@pjp9383]

I had to look away during that whole part (reading the comments) so I'm just fine with the lack of more footage. 🙃

[@bizichyld]

Legend has it that centipede still hasn’t finished crawling out of the ground.

[@Amocles]

What do you use for a lid? How secure is it? I'm worried about escapes.

[@thebiologist8662]

I've seen mushrooms grow enveloping plants before. The brow stuff is spores and the white stuff is new fungal mycelium sprouting from the spores.

[@KatelynCollins225]

The centipede scares the shit out of me. Just imagine being in a dark tunnel, and something with hundreds of legs and fangs with venom is chasing after you.

[@darylconnolly6877]

The white spots on the spores are other fungi decomposing the spores. Spores can last upto a year if stored properly.

[@alexeyayzin8512]

I'm curious. In your years of doing this, have you seen any evolutionary changes in self-contained populations? Or is the gene drift too strong in such small populations? I'm particularly interested in the largest populations (flies, isopods, etc.) thank you! I love your channel

[@blakespower]

nice you have everything the regular greenhouse growers always try to kill

[@RinKokonoe]

I can just imagine the centipede getting annoyed like "why tf everything ARMORED in here where are the goddamn WORMS???"

[@pjp9383]

Am not much of a centipede fan, so I gotta say that I'm totally rooting for our little armoured buddies.

[@bussyriots]

Wow that centipede just kept on coming huh

[@aeonyx_cinereus]

So glad you're back making videos! Love your content!

[@CrafterVSWild]

I'd love to make a terrarium as successful as this one someday

[@SithMami]

I can't believe the mycelium is colonizing that fern leaf in the light, like that. Do you keep the terrarium in the dark a lot?

[@elfarlaur]

God that centipede is having a rough time isn't he? Though to be honest centipedes scare the crap out of me so I'm not exactly routing for him. I once saw one eating a worm and digging into its body while the poor thing was writing around. I've been petrified ever since

[@zif1185]

4:40 look dad, I can fly!

[@charlieackroyd3243]

Your videos have improved so much over the past year! It’s wonderful to see more of your content. I find the mildly relaxing, even though I don’t particularly like insects

[@caked3953]

A very interesting fungi. It seems like a parasitic species. That could mean an imbalance in the ecosphere or an abscence of other mycelia. Surelyleads to an interesting fight/balance about oxygen

[@owenkuhnke3785]

These videos are fantastic. I am curious though, you mention how nutrients are recycled, I would imagine that wouldn't include the water/moisture correct? I would imagine you add that regularly? If not please lmk cause I am very curious about this

[@haroldinho9930]

It’s a closed environment. The water evaporates, condenses on the walls, and falls down to the soil again.

[@sarcohuman8147]

U can see the ecosphere is a very different place with the flaura and fauna this is always gonna happen at one point but ur ecosphere is achieving balance

[@Hikergy16]

Can you help me understand how you identify everything? I would like to begin learning how to do this.

[@SemiLobster]

Hopefully the centipedes are effective enough predators, too many grazers in the ecosphere might through off the balance of nutrient recycling.

[@buddyjumps]

Great video! I'm an ant keeper and was wondering: 1. How many times a week do you give water to the terrarium (spraying I guess?) --- I have to spray once a day, as mine is not completely closed off 2. Which light do you use (lumen, watt, etc.) and how long is it kept on throughout the day? 3. You don't really show the outsides/diameters and how it is closed off very much, would be nice to see in your videos! :) 4. What kind of water do you use? Even when I use our water with low chlorid, the glas of the terrarium is never as clean as shown in your video, it gets kinda white after a certain amount of time

[@1203jjt]

I think a terrarium is a closed system. You never water it. It's sealed in so the water just recycles.

[@crait2010]

@@1203jjt I dont think they are, ecosystems are the closed ones. There is also no Watervapor on the glass walls so it might be more or less open up top. Terrarium is just for "earth-Stuff" like and Aquarium for fishes and such

[@Maximesomerandomnumber]

I would be into a 24/24 live stream on one of your terrarium