▁lie ▁between ▁We ber ' s ▁Line ▁and ▁Ly dek ker ' s ▁Line , ▁and ▁thus ▁have ▁a ▁fa una ▁that ▁is ▁rather ▁more ▁Austral as ian ▁than ▁Asian . ▁Mal uk an ▁b iod iversity ▁and ▁its ▁distribution ▁are ▁affected ▁by ▁various ▁t ect onic ▁activities ; ▁most ▁of ▁the ▁islands ▁are ▁ge olog ically ▁young , ▁being ▁from ▁ 1 ▁million ▁to ▁ 1 5 ▁million ▁years ▁old , ▁and ▁have ▁never ▁been ▁attached ▁to ▁the ▁larger ▁land mass es . ▁The ▁Mal u ku ▁islands ▁differ ▁from ▁other ▁areas ▁in ▁Indones ia ; ▁they ▁contain ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁country ' s ▁smallest ▁islands , ▁cor al ▁island ▁re ef s ▁scattered ▁through ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁deep est ▁se as ▁in ▁the ▁world , ▁and ▁no ▁large ▁islands ▁such ▁as ▁Java ▁or ▁Sum atra . ▁Flora ▁and ▁fa una ▁imm igration ▁between ▁islands ▁is ▁thus ▁restricted , ▁leading ▁to ▁a ▁high ▁rate ▁of ▁en demic ▁bi ota ▁evol ving . ▁ ▁The ▁e col ogy ▁of ▁the ▁Mal u ku ▁Islands ▁has ▁fasc in ated ▁natural ists ▁for ▁centuries ; ▁Alfred ▁Wal lace ' s ▁book , ▁The ▁Mal ay ▁Arch ip el ago , ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁significant ▁study ▁of ▁the ▁area ' s ▁natural ▁history , ▁and ▁remains ▁an ▁important ▁resource ▁for ▁studying ▁Indones ian ▁b iod iversity . ▁Mal u ku ▁is ▁the ▁subject ▁of ▁two ▁major ▁historical ▁works ▁of ▁natural ▁history ▁by ▁Georg ▁E ber hard ▁R umph ius : ▁the ▁Her b arium ▁Am bo