Dissertation Improvement: The Biological Evidence from the San Pau Chu Site and its Implication for Austronesian Migrations

现代太平洋地区的人口在文化、语言和生物学上都是多样化的。许多人将此归因于大洋洲殖民化期间发生的不止一次移民。根据考古学研究和语言重建，大洋洲的殖民化开始于大约3500年前。这波运动与拉皮塔文化考古复合体（岛屿环境中独特的装饰陶瓷组合，石器，贝壳和骨骼工具以及园艺渔业经济）有关，人们被认为使用南岛语族的语言。证据也被用来表明南岛语族起源于台湾/东南亚岛屿（例如，到波利尼西亚的特快列车、Triple-I、慢船和东部的伊甸园模型）或在美拉尼西亚的俾斯麦群岛的更东部（即美拉尼西亚土著起源模型）。骨骼形态和遗传研究的比较提供了对人口关系和运动的见解;然而，讲南岛语的人口的祖先家园仍然是未知的。为了解决现有的南岛语族扩张的替代模型，并测试不同证据之间的一致性，本项目将检查史前考古遗址（2500-3000年之前）的分子数据（古代DNA）和牙齿形态的人类骨骼，三宝竹（SPC），在台湾西南部。为了确定这个人口样本和现代人口之间的生物学关系，分子研究将包括母系遗传的线粒体DNA片段。然后将这些结果与从公制（即牙冠宽度）和非公制（例如，这是第一个研究古台湾人的mtDNA，也是少数几个利用古DNA研究南岛语族迁徙的研究之一。本研究的结果也可提供台湾原住民，特别是平埔族，与亚洲大陆族群和东南亚岛屿族群的生物学关系的证据，并将提供一个知识体系来评估现有的南岛语族祖先家园的模型。对SPC人类骨骼遗骸的生物学和空间分析也可以提供信息来评估史前社会，特别是台湾南岛语族。该项目还为研究生提供培训，并促进美国和台湾科学家之间的合作。

Modern Pacific region populations are diverse culturally, linguistically, and biologically. Many attribute this to more than one migration occurring during the colonization of Oceania. According to archaeological research and linguistic reconstructions, the colonization of Oceania began at about 3500 years ago. This wave of movements is associated with Lapita Cultural Archaeological Complex (distinct decorated ceramic assemblages, lithic, shell, and bone implements with a horticultural-fishing economy in an island environment), and the people are thought to have spoken languages of the Austronesian language group. Evidence also has been used to suggest that Austronesian peoples originated from Taiwan/Island Southeast Asia (e.g., the Express Train to Polynesian, Triple-I, Slow Boat, and Eden in the East models) or further east in the Bismarck Archipelagos of Melanesia (i.e. the Indigenous Melanesian Origins model). Comparisons of skeletal morphology and genetic research offer insights into population relationships and movements; however, the ancestral homeland of Austronesian-speaking populations is still unknown. To address existing alternative models with respect to the Austronesian expansion and to test the agreement between different lines of evidence, this project will examine molecular data (ancient DNA) and dental morphology of human skeletons from the prehistoric archaeological site (2500-3000 before present), San-Pao-Chu (SPC), in Southwest Taiwan. To determine the biological relationships between this population sample and modern populations, molecular research will include segments of maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA. These results will then be compared with morphological data drawn from metric (i.e. tooth crown width) and nonmetric (e.g., tooth root numbers) dental traits.This is the first study to look at mtDNA of ancient Taiwanese and one of the few studies using ancient DNA to study Austronesian migrations. The results of this research can also offer evidence of biological relationships for the indigenous Taiwanese, specifically the Ping-Pu tribe, to ethnic groups in mainland Asia and populations of Island Southeast Asia, and will provide a body of knowledge to evaluate the existing models concerning the Austronesian ancestral homeland. Biological and spatial analyses of the SPC human skeletal remains can also offer information to evaluate prehistoric societies, especially Taiwanese Austronesian speakers. This project also provides training for a graduate student and fosters collaboration between American and Taiwanese scientists.