BBC | 《南太平洋》- 漂流者 22

Almost all animal castaways would have died of exposure, hunger or thirst

几乎所有的动物漂流者会死于暴晒、饥饿或口渴

long before reaching French Polynesia in the eastern Pacific

远未到达东太平洋的法属玻利尼西亚之前

Reaching land here was a matter of extraordinary luck

能在这里登陆需要莫大的运气

Unlike Fiji,

不像斐济

there are no bats in French Polynesia,no frogs and only a handful of lizards

法属玻利尼西亚没有蝙蝠和蛙类，蜥蜴也很少

The most successful travellers were the long-haul fliers - sooty terns

最成功的旅行者当属长途飞鸟乌燕鸥

Incredibly,

难以置信

they can stay in the air for four years without landing

它们能呆在空中4年不用着陆

But to breed, they must return to nesting sites on remote islands

但为了繁育，它们必须回到遥远岛屿上的筑巢点

And when they do,

一旦它们这样做了

they introduce new life

它们就会带去新的生命

Sticky or barbed seeds fasten on to their feathers

粘性或带倒钩的种子缠在它们的羽毛上

and hitch rides across oceans

搭着顺风车穿越太平洋

On some islands, 75% of plants arrived with the birds

有些岛屿上75%的植物都是由鸟类带去的

Seeds are even carried in the stomachs of some birds

还有些种子甚至是存在于鸟类的胃中被带去的

As if getting a lift wasn't enough for these seeds,

对于这些种子来说，似乎搭顺风车还不够

seabirds also provide them with something else

海鸟还带回了其它东西

The seafood these birds bring back to the islands

这些鸟带回岛的海鲜

is turned into nutrient-rich guano - plant fertiliser

变成了养分充足的鸟粪——植物的肥料

And there's enough of it to transform barren coral atolls into fertile groves

而且其分量足够足以将贫瘠的珊瑚环岛 变成富饶的丛林

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