Isolation has profound effects. It can pull a group of people together or drive an individual over the brink. In the natural world, it helps to create new species. Indeed, without physical barriers to separate organisms the Earth would probably have only half of its present biodiversity. So, for a professional botanist like Wendy Strahm, a visit to a new island should be as enticing as the presents under the tree on Christmas morning—full of encounters with surprising plants that have evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. But it's usually more like just another day at the office.
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