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There is one plant castaway that needs no help in finding new land
有一种漂流植物在寻找新陆地时无需帮助
a plant that has probably done more to change the fortunes of island life than any other,
这种植物或许比其它植物更能改变岛屿生物的命运
and one of the greatest long-distance travellers of all time.
它在任何时候都是最伟大的长途旅行家
The humble coconut. Its seed is a compact survival capsule.
它就是椰果。椰果种子犹如一个坚实的救生舱
Buoyant and filled with food for germination,
凭借浮力和胚芽的养分
it can survive for up to two months at sea...
它能在海水中至少生存2个月
...long enough to float from one remote island to the next.
足够从一个偏远岛漂流到下一个小岛
On arrival, it lays down roots into bare sand
到达陆地后，它将根部扎进裸露的沙土中
and taps into the reservoirs of underground freshwater.
利用地下储存的淡水生存
Without coconuts, most of the tropical islands in the South Pacific
没有椰树，人类和动物就无法
would have remained uninhabitable for both animals and people.
在南太平洋的诸多岛屿定居
