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、语言和生物上都是多样化的。许多人将此归因于大洋洲殖民期间发生的不止一次迁徙。根据考古研究和语言重建，大洋洲的殖民大约在3500年前开始。这股运动浪潮与拉皮塔文化考古综合体(独特的装饰陶瓷组合、石器、贝壳和骨器，以及岛屿环境中的园艺渔业经济)有关，人们被认为说南岛语族的语言。也有证据表明，南岛人起源于台湾/岛屿东南亚(例如，东方模式中的波利尼西亚、Triple-I、Slow Boat和伊甸园的特快列车)或更东边的美拉尼西亚俾斯麦群岛(即土著美拉尼西亚起源模式)。骨骼形态和基因研究的比较提供了对种群关系和迁移的洞察；然而，讲南岛语的种群的祖籍仍然未知。本计画将检视台湾西南部史前考古遗址三宝珠(SPC)史前考古遗址(距今2500-3000年)人类骨骼的分子资料(古代DNA)及牙齿形态，以探讨现有的替代南岛扩张模式及不同证据之间的一致性。为了确定这一群体样本与现代群体之间的生物学关系，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计量(即牙冠宽度)和非计量(例如牙根数量)牙齿轨迹获得的形态数据进行比较。这是第一次研究古代台湾人的mtDNA，也是为数不多的使用古代DNA来研究南岛人迁徙的研究之一。这项研究的结果也可以提供台湾原住民，特别是坪铺部落，与亚洲大陆族群和东南亚岛屿人口的生物亲缘关系的证据，并将为评估现有的关于南岛祖先家园的模型提供知识体系。对SPC人类骨骼遗骸的生物和空间分析也可以提供信息来评估史前社会，特别是说南岛话的台湾人。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.