Envision Science Animation: Volcanic Fertilisation of Tropical Forest Biomes

This animated video explains the research into how volcanic activity, such as ash fall, can substantially impact tropical forest ecosystems by supplying critical nutrients like phosphorous, promoting plant growth and productivity.

Chris Bengt, a researcher at the Lancaster University as part of the Envision PhD programme, is investigating if rare mass flowering events of Dipterocarp trees in the rainforests of Southeast Asia, are linked to phosphorous from ash fall.

This is important for rainforest restoration as the Dipterocarpaceae family includes over 370 species and plays a critical role in forest dynamics and regeneration.

animation Type

Research and Science Communication

Author: Mair Perkins

Clients

Envision

Credits & Associates

  • Script written by Chris Bengt and Mair Perkins
  • Direction by Chris Bengt
  • Style and storyboard design by Mair Perkins
  • Illustration by Mair Perkins
  • Animation by Mair Perkins
  • Voiceover sourced and edited by Ben Haynes
  • Music from Adobe Stock

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This animation was commissioned to communicate Chris's research to a broad audience, making the science of paleoecology, nutrient cycling, and lake sediment analysis accessible without requiring prior knowledge of ecology or earth science. It is intended for use in public engagement, educational, and conference settings.

This is one of a series of animations produced for Envision PhD researchers. Envision runs a competition in which early-career researchers submit a brief for an animated film; selected winners have their research brought to life through professional animation.

Script & style concept

We collaborated with Chris to write a 2.5 minute script for the animation based on the competition entry that explained his research and pitched the storyline concept. A style concept was created using bold, tropical colours in a flat design style with line drawing details to give an idea of how the animation would look.

Style concept

Sketched storyboards

A storyboard was sketched out based on the script in Photoshop then uploaded to Boords. The storyboard images were then put into a video sequence with a draft voiceover recording so we could test the timings and ensure the script and images made sense when played together.

At this point we made some script and image revisions before moving to the next stage.

Illustrated storyboards

Once the sketched storyboards were signed off, the storyboards were illustrated in the style design.

The illustrations were created using Adobe Illustrator.

Some revisions were made before moving onto the next production phase.

Sketched storyboard

Animation

The animation phase started by preparing all the illustrations for animation. This involved separating artwork out onto layers and naming them.

After Effects' 3D tools were used to give depth to scenes along with camera lens blur effects.

The illustrated storyboard files were imported into Adobe After Effects then animated.

A professional voice over artist recorded the script then the audio track was mixed and edited so it could be animated in time to.

Research Insights

Southeast Asia's tropical rainforests are among the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet, yet less than a third of their original extent survives. Logging, agricultural expansion, and land clearance continue to reduce and fragment what remains. Central to these forests is a distinctive family of trees — the Dipterocarps — which are known for dramatic mass flowering events in which thousands of trees bloom simultaneously. These events, which may occur only once a decade, are critical for forest regeneration, but what triggers them is not yet fully understood.

One hypothesis centres on soil nutrients, particularly phosphorus. Research suggests that volcanic activity — including ash fall from eruptions — can deposit significant quantities of phosphorus and other nutrients into landscapes, promoting plant growth and productivity. Understanding whether and how this process has driven forest regeneration in the past could be key to understanding what these ecosystems need to recover in the future.

To investigate this, scientists look beneath the surface of lakes. Lake sediments act as natural archives, accumulating layers of material over thousands of years — including volcanic ash, soil particles, and fragments of DNA shed by the organisms living in and around the water. By extracting and analysing sediment cores, researchers can reconstruct a detailed record of past volcanic eruptions, nutrient inputs, and ecosystem responses, tracking how forests have changed over millennia.

In the laboratory, these cores are analysed for nutrients and stable isotopes — including carbon, nitrogen, sulphur, and phosphate-oxygen — and compared with ancient plant and animal DNA preserved in the sediment. Together, these records reveal how forests have responded to both natural events such as eruptions and human pressures such as agricultural run-off and deforestation.

The findings aim to identify what has driven rainforest regeneration in the past, and to provide baseline knowledge that can guide conservation and restoration efforts for these fragile and irreplaceable ecosystems.

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