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Seetah K, Manfio S, Balbo A, Farr RH, Florens FBV. Colonization During Colonialism: Developing a Framework to Assess the Rapid Ecological Transformation of Mauritius’s Pristine Ecosystem. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.791539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The colonization of Mauritius exemplifies the role played by humans in altering the ecosystems of remote oceanic islands. This paper focuses on how we study those islands first colonized under the global mantle of colonialism. Here we aim to provide a theoretical framework for historical ecological investigations to disentangle the processes, impacts, and outcomes of colonization during colonialism, considering local, regional, and global drivers. The paper provides a review of existing literature, outlines a proposed research program encompassing paleoecology, paleoclimatology, archeology, and history, and offers details of potential research sites. We present “historical ecology” as a framework to aid future work, and argue that a refined understanding of the impact of human colonization can help create a nuanced chronology of environmental degradation that typifies Mauritius. Such detailed assessment is necessary to inform contemporary ecological conservation efforts. Finally, we argue that narratives of changing ecosystems and practice can help construct “usable pasts,” often missing from historical records, for the multicultural populace of the island.
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Nagle N, van Oven M, Wilcox S, van Holst Pellekaan S, Tyler-Smith C, Xue Y, Ballantyne KN, Wilcox L, Papac L, Cooke K, van Oorschot RAH, McAllister P, Williams L, Kayser M, Mitchell RJ. Aboriginal Australian mitochondrial genome variation - an increased understanding of population antiquity and diversity. Sci Rep 2017; 7:43041. [PMID: 28287095 PMCID: PMC5347126 DOI: 10.1038/srep43041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2016] [Accepted: 01/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Aboriginal Australians represent one of the oldest continuous cultures outside Africa, with evidence indicating that their ancestors arrived in the ancient landmass of Sahul (present-day New Guinea and Australia) ~55 thousand years ago. Genetic studies, though limited, have demonstrated both the uniqueness and antiquity of Aboriginal Australian genomes. We have further resolved known Aboriginal Australian mitochondrial haplogroups and discovered novel indigenous lineages by sequencing the mitogenomes of 127 contemporary Aboriginal Australians. In particular, the more common haplogroups observed in our dataset included M42a, M42c, S, P5 and P12, followed by rarer haplogroups M15, M16, N13, O, P3, P6 and P8. We propose some major phylogenetic rearrangements, such as in haplogroup P where we delinked P4a and P4b and redefined them as P4 (New Guinean) and P11 (Australian), respectively. Haplogroup P2b was identified as a novel clade potentially restricted to Torres Strait Islanders. Nearly all Aboriginal Australian mitochondrial haplogroups detected appear to be ancient, with no evidence of later introgression during the Holocene. Our findings greatly increase knowledge about the geographic distribution and phylogenetic structure of mitochondrial lineages that have survived in contemporary descendants of Australia’s first settlers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nano Nagle
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Mannis van Oven
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Stephen Wilcox
- Australian Genome Research Facility, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sheila van Holst Pellekaan
- Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, New South Wales, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Chris Tyler-Smith
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Welcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Yali Xue
- The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Welcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom
| | - Kaye N Ballantyne
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands.,Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Leah Wilcox
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Luka Papac
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Karen Cooke
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Roland A H van Oorschot
- Office of the Chief Forensic Scientist, Victoria Police Forensic Services Department, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Lesley Williams
- Community Elder and Cultural Advisor, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - Manfred Kayser
- Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC University Medical Center Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - R John Mitchell
- Department of Biochemistry and Genetics, La Trobe Institute for Molecular Sciences, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Marrero P, Abu-Amero KK, Larruga JM, Cabrera VM. Carriers of human mitochondrial DNA macrohaplogroup M colonized India from southeastern Asia. BMC Evol Biol 2016; 16:246. [PMID: 27832758 PMCID: PMC5105315 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-016-0816-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2016] [Accepted: 10/28/2016] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background From a mtDNA dominant perspective, the exit from Africa of modern humans to colonize Eurasia occurred once, around 60 kya, following a southern coastal route across Arabia and India to reach Australia short after. These pioneers carried with them the currently dominant Eurasian lineages M and N. Based also on mtDNA phylogenetic and phylogeographic grounds, some authors have proposed the coeval existence of a northern route across the Levant that brought mtDNA macrohaplogroup N to Australia. To contrast both hypothesis, here we reanalyzed the phylogeography and respective ages of mtDNA haplogroups belonging to macrohaplogroup M in different regions of Eurasia and Australasia. Results The macrohaplogroup M has a historical implantation in West Eurasia, including the Arabian Peninsula. Founder ages of M lineages in India are significantly younger than those in East Asia, Southeast Asia and Near Oceania. Moreover, there is a significant positive correlation between the age of the M haplogroups and its longitudinal geographical distribution. These results point to a colonization of the Indian subcontinent by modern humans carrying M lineages from the east instead the west side. Conclusions The existence of a northern route, previously proposed for the mtDNA macrohaplogroup N, is confirmed here for the macrohaplogroup M. Both mtDNA macrolineages seem to have differentiated in South East Asia from ancestral L3 lineages. Taking this genetic evidence and those reported by other disciplines we have constructed a new and more conciliatory model to explain the history of modern humans out of Africa. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-016-0816-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Marrero
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, NR4 7TJ, Norfolk, UK
| | - Khaled K Abu-Amero
- Glaucoma Research Chair, Department of ophthalmology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jose M Larruga
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
| | - Vicente M Cabrera
- Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de La Laguna, La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain.
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