The biogeography of sodium in Neotropical figs (Moraceae)

Sodium is essential for animals but not for most plants. Terrestrial sodium comes largely from marine aerosols, so inland ecosystems should have greater potential for sodium limitation than coastal ecosystems. We report a significant decrease of sodium in fruits of four Neotropical Ficus species with distance from presumed marine source.

钠对动物至关重要，但对大多数植物而言并非如此。陆地钠元素主要来源于海洋气溶胶（marine aerosols），因此内陆生态系统比沿海生态系统更有可能出现钠限制。我们报告，四种新热带榕属植物（Neotropical Ficus species）果实中的钠含量随距推测海洋源距离的增加而显著降低。