MSI PI Sharon Jansa, a professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and the curator of mammals at the Bell Museum of Natural History, is a co-author on a recent paper that reveals that the highest concentration of unique mammals species in the world is on the Philippines island of Luzon. The researchers spent 15 years collecting data about the mammals that live on Luzon and discovered that, of 56 non-flying mammal species that live there, 52 live nowhere else.
The paper was published in the journal Frontiers of Biogeography: Doubling diversity: A cautionary tale of previously unsuspected mammalian diversity on a tropical oceanic island. A story also appears on the University of Minnesota’s Research News page: Greatest concentration of unique mammal species is on Philippine island.
Professor Jansa uses MSI resources to support research concerning mammalian systematics, phylogeography, and evolution.