Why Australia has koalas and Spain has squirrels

A new study sheds light on the profound influence of deep geographic isolation on the evolution of mammals. The research reveals how long-lasting separation between continents has shaped distinct mammal communities around the globe. “Today’s ecology was not inevitable. If there were different isolating factors long ago, we might have vastly different ecosystems today,” says study lead author Peter Williams, a research associate in the integrative biology department and a postdoctoral researcher in Michigan State University’s Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior …