Adoption and Kinship in Oceania

The frequency and form of adoption practices in Oceania recently have been cited as evidence that human behavior is inconsistent with predictions derived from sociobiological theory (Sahlins 1976). Ethnographic data reviewed here, however, suggest otherwise. In Oceania kinship is an important factor in the selection and treatment of adopted children as adoption occurs almost exclusively among close relatives. Natal children often ally against their adopted siblings over the division of their common parents' estate while adoptive parents themselves frequently apportion their land unequally among their natal and adopted children. These patterns and other data are consistent with predictions generated by a socio biological model of adoptive decisions. The model illustrates how kinship facilitates adoption as a means of modifying extreme family sizes, and how asymmetries in the degrees of relatedness between parents and their adopted and natal children provide the basis of differential treatment of them. Adoption in Oceania provides an example of a clearly cultural behavior which is consistent with socio biological predictions, and suggests that both culture and biology are relevant to an understanding of human behavior . [sociobiology, kinship, adoption, Oceania]     

Women's fishing in Oceania

Women's fishing in Oceania has been overlooked in most subsistence studies in the region and, as a consequence, there are few quantitative data available upon which to base an assessment of its importance. However, in the present study, the few data available on women's fishing in Oceania are examined, and these show that women contribute significantly to marine food yields in the region. Also, it is suggested that the highly regular nature of women's fishing makes women more reliable, and therefore more effective than men as suppliers of protein for subsistence. The implications of these findings for future development policies in the region are then discussed.     

Zoosporic fungi of Oceania

Summary In a further study of the zoosporic fungi of Oceania three new species of Rhizophydium, R. rarotonganensis, R. angulosum, and R. condylosum were isolated on various substrata from soil. Rhizophydium rarotonganensis is a parasite of Nowakowskiella profusa and causes marked local hypertrophy of the rhizomycelium. Rhizophydium angulosum occured on bleached corn leaves and pollen grains and is characterized by predominantly angular sporangia with bush-like, finely branched rhizoids, and small zoospores. It differs from R. subangulosum by its saprophytic nature, inability to infect blue-green and green algae, and its ability to grow in axenic culture on synthetic media. Rhizophydium condylosum is keratinophilic and develops in great abundance on human hair, snake skin and other keratinic substrata. It is characterized primarily by spherical to ovoid sporangia with 1 to 30 exit pepillae which give them a knobby appearance.This study has been supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.     

The mycoses of Oceania

A review of the mycoses of Oceania, defined as the Pacific islands of Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia, has revealed the occurrence of cutaneous, subcutaneous and systemic mycoses.Tinea versicolor is the most prevalent of the cutaneous mycotic infections. Dermatophyte infections are also common. The etiologic agents incriminated have beenEpidermophyton floccosum, Microsporum canis, members of theMicrosporum fulvum-gypseum complex,Trichophyton concentricum, T. mentagrophytes, T. rubrum, T. tonsurans andT. verrucosum. Only one case of tinea nigra has been reported and that was in Hawaii. Among the fungi that cause subcutaneous mycoses onlyAllescheria boydii, Nocardia brasiliensis, Madurella mycetomi andSporothrix schenckii have been encountered to date. Among the systemic mycoses, actinomycosis, cryptococcosis and histoplasmosis have been found to be present. The geographic distribution of these actinomycotic and mycotic infections is provided along with data on soil isolation records and histoplasmin sensitivity surveys.Paper presented at the Symposium on Microbiology, Canadian Medical Expedition to Easter Island, Montreal, April 26–28, 1971     

Post-meiotic nucleo-cytoplasmic interaction in Cosmos bipinnatus

An interaction involving the nuclear envelope and spherical double-membrane bound inclusions takes place in the cytoplasm of post-meiotic male microspores of Cosmos (tribe Heliantheae, sub-tribe Coreopsidinae). The identity of the spherical inclusions has yet to be fully established, but they closely resemble profiles elsewhere in the cytoplasm, themselves presumably derived from the mitochondrial population of the premeiotic pollen mother cells. Both the cytoplasmic and nucleaar-associated inclusions regularly contain a central vesicle, formed by an ingagination of their bounding membranes. The interaction, which occurs immediately prior to the deposition of the primexine of the pollen wall, involves the adhesion of the inclusions to the nuclear surface. Experiments with osmotically disrupted cells reveal that the inclusions are firmly bound to the envelope and, at the points of contact, electron opaque granules are regularly present. Frequently elements of the chromatin may be observed in juxtapostion to these points of contact, but on the inner face of the envelope. The interaction in Cosmos is proposed to constitute part of the process by which the cytoplasm and its content are realigned to the new gametophylic style of growth.     

Population size predicts technological complexity in Oceania

Much human adaptation depends on the gradual accumulation of culturally transmitted knowledge and technology. Recent models of this process predict that large, well-connected populations will have more diverse and complex tool kits than small, isolated populations. While several examples of the loss of technology in small populations are consistent with this prediction, it found no support in two systematic quantitative tests. Both studies were based on data from continental populations in which contact rates were not available, and therefore these studies do not provide a test of the models. Here, we show that in Oceania, around the time of early European contact, islands with small populations had less complicated marine foraging technology. This finding suggests that explanations of existing cultural variation based on optimality models alone are incomplete because demography plays an important role in generating cumulative cultural adaptation. It also indicates that hominin populations with similar cognitive abilities may leave very different archaeological records, a conclusion that has important implications for our understanding of the origin of anatomically modern humans and their evolved psychology.     

The Q2 Mitochondrial Haplogroup in Oceania

Many details surrounding the origins of the peoples of Oceania remain to be resolved, and as a step towards this we report seven new complete mitochondrial genomes from the Q2a haplogroup, from Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Kiribati. This brings the total to eleven Q2 genomes now available. The Q haplogroup (that includes Q2) is an old and diverse lineage in Near Oceania, and is reasonably common; within our sample set of 430, 97 are of the Q haplogroup. However, only 8 are Q2, and we report 7 here. The tree with all complete Q genomes is proven to be minimal. The dating estimate for the origin of Q2 (around 35 Kya) reinforces the understanding that humans have been in Near Oceania for tens of thousands of years; nevertheless the Polynesian maternal haplogroups remain distinctive. A major focus now, with regard to Polynesian ancestry, is to address the differences and timing of the ‘Melanesian’ contribution to the maternal and paternal lineages as people moved further and further into Remote Oceania. Input from other fields such as anthropology, history and linguistics is required for a better understanding and interpretation of the genetic data.     

Effect of fertilizers on Cd accumulation and subcellular distribution of two cosmos species (Cosmos sulphureus and Cosmos bipinnata)

Addition of fertilizer amendments is regarded as an ideal approach to enhancing phytoextraction. However, there is little information available on the influence of common fertilizers on Cd accumulation of two newly reported Cd accumulators, Cosmos sulphureus and Cosmos bipinnata (C. sulphureus and C. bipinnata). The effects of N (CO(NH₂)₂), NP (CO(NH₂)₂ + Ca(H₂PO₄)₂), and NPK (CO(NH₂)₂ + Ca(H₂PO₄)₂ + KCl) fertilizers on Cd accumulation and subcellular distribution of C. sulphureus and C. bipinnata were studied in a 70-d pot experiment. The results showed that Cd uptake of C. sulphureus and C. bipinnata with NPK fertilizer was significantly higher than control, N, and NP fertilizers, especially 3.8- and 4.7-fold higher than control (p < 0.05). Compared with C. bipinnata, C. sulphureus achieved higher biomass and Cd uptake in aboveground parts under fertilizer treatments, especially NPK fertilizer. The Cd subcellular distribution revealed that segregation of Cd to Cd-rich granules (MRG) might play an important role in Cd detoxification in both species. C. sulphureus is more likely than C. bipinnata to separate the Cd in MRG and reduce the partition in the heat-denatured protein fraction, especially with NPK fertilizer. Therefore, C. sulphureus combined with NPK fertilizers could be an effective method to remediate Cd-polluted farmland soils in China.     

The Sweet Potato in Oceania: A Reappraisal

The Sweet Potato in Oceania:. Reappraisal . Chris Ballard, Paula Brown, Michael Bourke, and Tracy Harwood, eds. Pittsburgh: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2005. 227 pp.