Malate dehydrogenase types in the Asian-Pacific area,and a description of new phenotypes

A survey of more than 21 000 haemolysates from blood samples collected in various parts of south and southeast Asia, Australasia and the Western Pacific and examined in this laboratory has revealed several new alleles controlling variants of sMDH; in addition, further information has been provided on the distribution of sMDH3 in New Guinea. Two of the variant alleles, sMDH3 and sMDH6, achieve polymorphic frequency in various populations. sMDH3 is widely distributed in New Guinea, with highest frequencies in the Eastern Highlands. The pattern of its distribution suggests the mutant arose originally in a Papuan-speaking population. So far, sMDH6 has been detected only in Micronesians from a number of islands in the Carolines. A single example of another new variant, sMDH 5-1, and two examples of a slow variant, sMDH 7-1, were detected in samples from Iran and Singapore, respectively. No examples of mMDH variants were found in a total of 652 placental extracts from Papua New Guinea and Australia.     

Phylogeny, biogeography and reproductive trends in the Onychophora

A cladistic analysis places the Onychophora between Polychaeta and Arthropoda. The 'Uniramia'concept is not supported. No justification was found for either onychophoran family to be considered ancestral. A cladogram of fossil genera indicates the common ancestor to have long oncopods, armoured plates and an annulated body. Later forms show adaptations to life in reduced spaces. Physiological data suggest that the Onychophora became adapted to land via the littoral zone, before the Late Ordovician. Adhesive glands evolved for defence on land. Peripatopsidae and Peripatidae were distinct by the late Triassic. The occurrence of onychophorans probably dates from post-Pliocene in New Guinea and southern Australia, and post-Early Cretaceous in Chile, the southern half of Southeast Asia, Mesoamerica and the Caribbean. After the Early Cretaceous, the peripatids of tropical Africa lost terrestrial contact with those of South America. A new biogeographic technique, formalized here under the name retrovicariance, indicates that the Peripatidae of Equatorial Africa and the Neotropics are sister-groups. Typical inbreeding adaptations found in some onychophorans include: female-biased sex ratios; gregarious development; relatively constant time of development and number of offspring in each clutch; male polygamy and shorter life span; frequent sibmating in the microhabitat of development, and sperm storage by females, so that a single insemination fertilizes all ova.     

Support for vicariant origins of the New Zealand Onychophora

Aim The distribution of Onychophora across the southern continents has long been considered the result of vicariance events. However, it has recently been hypothesized that New Zealand was completely inundated during the late Oligocene (25–22 Ma) and therefore that the entire biota is the result of long-distance dispersal. We tested this assumption using phylogenetic and molecular dating of DNA sequence data from Onychophora. Location New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile (South America). Methods We obtained DNA sequence data from the nuclear genes 28S and 18S rRNA to reconstruct relationships among species of Peripatopsidae (Onychophora). We performed molecular dating under a Bayesian relaxed clock model with a range of prior distributions using the rifting of South America and South Africa as a calibration. Results Our phylogenetic trees revealed that the New Zealand genera Ooperipatellus and Peripatoides, together with selected Australian genera (Euperipatoides, Phallocephale and an undescribed genus from Tasmania), form a monophyletic group that is the sister group to genera from Chile (Metaperipatus) and South Africa (Peripatopsis and Opisthopatus). The relaxed clock dating analyses yielded mean divergence times from 71.3 to 78.9 Ma for the split of the New Zealand Peripatoides from their Australian sister taxa. The 0.95 Bayesian posterior intervals were very broad and ranged from 24.5 to 137.6 Ma depending on the prior assumptions. The mean divergence of the New Zealand species of Ooperipatellus from the Australian species Ooperipatellus insignis was estimated at between 39.9 and 46.2 Ma, with posterior intervals ranging from 9.5 to 91.6 Ma. Main conclusions The age of Peripatoides is consistent with long-term survival in New Zealand and implies that New Zealand was not completely submerged during the Oligocene. Ooperipatellus is less informative on the question of continuous land in the New Zealand region because we cannot exclude a post-Oligocene divergence. The great age of Peripatoides is consistent with a vicariant origin of this genus resulting from the rifting of New Zealand from the eastern margin of Gondwana and supports the assumptions of previous authors who considered the Onychophora to be a relict component of the New Zealand biota.     

Glutamic pyruvic transaminase and esterase D types in the Asian-Pacific area

Summary More than 11000 blood samples have been examined for glutamicpyruvic transaminase (GPT) and almost 9000 for Esterase D (EsD) in the Asian-Pacific area; GPT ³ and GPT ⁶ were detected in several population groups in New Guinea, Singapore and some Pacific islands. No previously undescribed alleles were found in either system.     

Contribution to study of Asmat genetic variability

During an anthropological survey in the South-West of Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea), 145 blood samples were collected from the coastal Asmat population. ABO, MNSs, Rh, Kell, Duffy and Kidd red cell antigen systems were investigated and the results are presented here. ABO, MNSs, Rh gene frequencies of the Asmat, together with those of 21 other New Guinea populations, were examined by principal component analysis. The topological representation of the distribution of the selected New Guinea populations confirms high variability in the interior of the island, and possible causes are discussed. A hypothesis is advanced, concordant with language evidence which would explain the resemblance among populations from opposite coasts of New Guinea and between some mountain and coastal groups. When the comparison includes 32 other world populations, the New Guinea groups constitute one assemblage distinct from the others.     

Intersterility between populations of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Lentinula edodes</Emphasis> from Papua New Guinea

Mating tests among strains of Lentinula edodes distributed in Asia-Australasia were conducted. As a result, 26 strains were classified into three groups: 2 strains from Mt. Wilhelm in Papua New Guinea (PN1 group) showed intersterility with 7 strains from Mt. Albert Edward and Mt. Kaisenik in Papua New Guinea (PN2 group) and semicompatibility (clamp formation restricted to contact zone between paired monokaryons) with 17 strains from Asia-Australasia (AA group), whereas the strains of the PN2 group showed compatibility with the AA group. These results suggest that the shiitake populations distributed in Asia-Australasia including Papua New Guinea are in the process of speciation. Contribution no. 391 from the Tottori Mycological Institute     

Beta diversity of frogs in the forests of New Guinea, Amazonia and Europe: contrasting tropical and temperate communities

Aim To test the hypothesis that animal communities within environmentally relatively uniform lowland forests are characterized by low beta diversity, both in tropical and in temperate areas. Location Lowland forests in the basins of the Sepik and Ramu rivers in New Guinea, the Amazon river in Bolivia, and the Elbe and Dyje rivers in the Czech Republic. Methods A network of 5–6 study sites spanning distances from 20–80 to 300–500 km in each study area was systematically surveyed for all frogs, using visual detection and call tracking. The community data were analysed for alpha and beta diversity. Results Local (alpha) diversity of frog communities was similar in the two tropical areas, New Guinea (mean ± SE of 22 ± 1.4 species per site) and Amazonia (24 ± 1.7 species), but was significantly lower in Europe (8 ± 0.8 species). In Amazonia, 36 of the total of 70 species were recorded from single sites. In contrast, widespread species dominated in Europe, whereas New Guinea exhibited an intermediate pattern with both local and widespread species well represented. The rate of species accumulation across different sites was lowest in Europe, intermediate in New Guinea and highest in Amazonia. The regional species diversity, expressed as the combined number of species from five study sites, was 1.5 times higher than the local species diversity at a single site in Europe, 2.0 times higher in New Guinea and 2.7 times higher in Amazonia. The proportion of species shared between communities decreased with geographic distance in New Guinea and Europe, but not in Amazonia. Main conclusions Frog communities in the lowland tropical rain forests of New Guinea and Amazonia had similar numbers of species, but differed in their beta diversity. More species in Amazonia had restricted distributions than in New Guinea. Both tropical areas had markedly higher alpha and beta diversity than the temperate area in Europe.     

Mitochondrial DNA variability of West New Guinea populations.

This paper reports human mitochondrial DNA variability in West New Guinea (the least known, western side of the island of New Guinea), not yet described from a molecular perspective. The study was carried out on 202 subjects from 12 ethnic groups, belonging to six different Papuan language families, representative of both mountain and coastal plain areas. Mitochondrial DNA hypervariable region 1 (HVS 1) and the presence of the 9-bp deletion (intergenic region COII-tRNA(Lys)) were investigated. HVS 1 sequencing identified 73 polymorphic sites defining 89 haplotypes; the 9-bp deletion, which is considered a marker of Austronesian migration in the Pacific, was found to be absent in the whole West New Guinea study sample. Statistical analysis applied to the resulting haplotypes reveal high heterogeneity and an intersecting distribution of genetic variability in these populations, despite their cultural and geographic diversity. The results of subsequent phylogenetic approaches subdivide mtDNA diversity in West New Guinea into three main clusters (groups I-III), defined by sets of polymorphisms which are also shared by some individuals from Papua New Guinea. Comparisons with worldwide HVS 1 sequences stored in the MitBASE database show the absence of these patterns outside Oceania and a few Indonesian subjects, who also lack the 9-bp deletion. This finding, which is consistent with the effects of genetic drift and prolonged isolation of West New Guinea populations, lead us to regard these patterns as New Guinea population markers, which may harbor the genetic memory of the earliest human migrations to the island.     

Local versus regional species richness in tropical insects: one lowland site compared with the island of New Guinea

1. The overlap in species composition of Cercopoidea (Aphrophoridae, Cercopidae, and Machaerotidae), Flatidae, and Ricaniidae between two data sets, an almost exhaustive census from 13 Ficus species and a sample from diverse vegetation in the same area, led to the estimate for local species richness of 111 (SE 11.5) species (45 species of Cercopoidea, 36 species of Flatidae, and 30 species of Ricaniidae) at a lowland rainforest site in New Guinea. 2. Samples restricted to 13 species of Ficus contained 66 species, i.e. 59% of the estimated local species richness. This high proportion probably results from the high proportion of polyphagous and tourist (transient) species in the Cercopoidea, Flatidae, and Ricaniidae. 3. The two largest museum collections of New Guinean insects contained 327 species of Cercopoidea from New Guinea, including 23 of the 34 species collected in the field samples. This overlap led to the estimate of 483 (SE 97.2) species of Cercopoidea present in New Guinea. 4. The species found in the field samples were also 2.6 times more likely to be found in the museum collection than other species. This sampling bias can be due to a positive correlation between species local abundance and geographic distribution and/or similar patterns of species abundance at different sites. 5. The estimate of species richness of Cercopoidea in New Guinea increased to 1222 species when corrected for this sampling bias. Thus, only 4% of the New Guinean species were present locally, in the study area. Such high beta diversity is probably a consequence of the exceptional habitat and vegetation diversity in New Guinea, as well as its complex geological history.     

Contributions to the Cladocera fauna from Papua New Guinea

Twenty-eight taxa of the Cladocera are identified in collections from Papua New Guinea, 17 being new records for New Guinea, bringing the total number of Cladocera taxa reported for this region to 39. Most of the taxa are circumtropical. One species (Sarsilatona papuana) is endemic to Papua New Guinea and northern Australia. The species list includes two species that are normally listed as Holarctic:Alonella nana andAlona rustica. Widespread genera such asDaphnia, Pleuroxus, Disparalona, Acroperus were strikingly absent from the Papua New Guinean material.     

Patterns of Y-chromosome diversity intersect with the Trans-New Guinea hypothesis

The island of New Guinea received part of the first human expansion out of Africa (>40,000 years ago), but its human genetic history remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined Y-chromosome diversity in 162 samples from the Bird's Head region of northwest New Guinea (NWNG) and compared the results with previously obtained data from other parts of the island. NWNG harbors a high level of cultural and linguistic diversity and is inhabited by non-Austronesian (i.e., Papuan)-speaking groups as well as harboring most of West New Guinea's (WNG) Austronesian-speaking groups. However, 97.5% of its Y-chromosomes belong to 5 haplogroups that originated in Melanesia; hence, the Y-chromosome diversity of NWNG (and, according to available data, of New Guinea as a whole) essentially reflects a local history. The remaining 2.5% belong to 2 haplogroups (O-M119 and O-M122) of East Asian origin, which were brought to New Guinea by Austronesian-speaking migrants around 3,500 years ago. Thus, the Austronesian expansion had only a small impact on shaping Y-chromosome diversity in NWNG, although the linguistic impact of this expansion to this region was much higher. In contrast, the expansion of Trans-New Guinea (TNG) speakers (non-Austronesian) starting about 6,000-10,000 years ago from the central highlands of what is now Papua New Guinea, presumably in combination with the expansion of agriculture, played a more important role in determining the Y-chromosome diversity of New Guinea. In particular, we identified 2 haplogroups (M-P34 and K-M254) as suggestive markers for the TNG expansion, whereas 2 other haplogroups (C-M38 and K-M9) most likely reflect the earlier local Y-chromosome diversity. We propose that sex-biased differences in the social structure and cultural heritage of the people involved in the Austronesian and the TNG expansions played an important role (among other factors) in shaping the New Guinean Y-chromosome landscape.     

Genetic differentiation within New Zealand Onychophora and their relationships to the Australian fauna

Specimens of peripatopsid Onychophora from New Zealand (the viviparous Peripatoid.es novaezealandiae and P. suteri and the oviparous Ooperipatellus insignis) have been analysed by allozyme electrophoresis and compared with three species of viviparous peripatus and 0. insignis from Australia. The data indicate that at least two species of Peripatoides are present, in addition to those described. Populations collected from Dunedin, in the South Island, are not referable on morphological grounds to any described genus. Furthermore, specimens exhibit such a high level of genetic distinctiveness that we speculate they have diverged from the Peripatoides and Euperipatoides lineages prior to the separation of Australia and New Zealand some 95 Myr ago. Specimens referable to 0. insignis from New Zealand are genetically quite distinct from 0. insignis at its type locality in Australia and must be considered endemic.     

Reduced Y-chromosome,but not mitochondrial DNA,diversity in human populations from West New Guinea

To investigate the paternal population history of New Guinea, 183 individuals from 11 regional populations of West New Guinea (WNG) and 131 individuals from Papua New Guinea (PNG) were analyzed at 26 binary markers and seven short-tandem-repeat loci from the nonrecombining part of the human Y chromosome and were compared with 14 populations of eastern and southeastern Asia, Polynesia, and Australia. Y-chromosomal diversity was low in WNG compared with PNG and with most other populations from Asia/Oceania; a single haplogroup (M-M4) accounts for 75% of WNG Y chromosomes, and many WNG populations have just one Y haplogroup. Four Y-chromosomal lineages (haplogroups M-M4, C-M208, C-M38, and K-M230) account for 94% of WNG Y chromosomes and 78% of all Melanesian Y chromosomes and were identified to have most likely arisen in Melanesia. Haplogroup C-M208, which in WNG is restricted to the Dani and Lani, two linguistically closely related populations from the central and western highlands of WNG, was identified as the major Polynesian Y-chromosome lineage. A network analysis of associated Y-chromosomal short-tandem-repeat haplotypes suggests two distinct population expansions involving C-M208--one in New Guinea and one in Polynesia. The observed low levels of Y-chromosome diversity in WNG contrast with high levels of mtDNA diversity reported for the same populations. This most likely reflects extreme patrilocality and/or biased male reproductive success (polygyny). Our data further provide evidence for primarily female-mediated gene flow within the highlands of New Guinea but primarily male-mediated gene flow between highland and lowland/coastal regions.     

Characterization of population structure from the mitochondrial DNA vis‐à‐vis language and geography in Papua New Guinea

Situated along a corridor linking the Asian continent with the outer islands of the Pacific, Papua New Guinea has long played a key role in understanding the initial peopling of Oceania. The vast diversity in languages and unique geographical environments in the region have been central to the debates on human migration and the degree of interaction between the Pleistocene settlers and newer migrants. To better understand the role of Papua New Guinea in shaping the region's prehistory, we sequenced the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region of three populations, a total of 94 individuals, located in the East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. We analyzed these samples with a large data set of Oceania populations to examine the role of geography and language in shaping population structure within New Guinea and between the region and Island Melanesia. Our results from median‐joining networks, star‐cluster age estimates, and population genetic analyses show that while highland New Guinea populations seem to be the oldest settlers, there has been significant gene flow within New Guinea with little influence from geography or language. The highest genetic division is between Papuan speakers of New Guinea versus East Papuan speakers located outside of mainland New Guinea. Our study supports the weak language barriers to genetic structuring among populations in close contact and highlights the complexity of understanding the genetic histories of Papua New Guinea in association with language and geography. Am J Phys Anthropol 142:613–624, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Growth and development of the Kaiapit children of the Markham Valley, New Guinea

The growth and development of Markham Valley children was studied by examining over 800 children of known age, ranging from birth to maturity. Although growth in height and weight is slower than that of European children, it is faster than that so far recorded for some New Guinea populations. This is associated with the tallest adult stature reported to date for New Guinea and supports the previous finding that adult height in a New Guinea society is proportional to the growth rate of children in that society. Skin fold thickness values for age are lower than both New Guinea Highland and European children, despite reasonable availability of food. Menarche occurs at a mean age of 15.6 years, which is much earlier than some other New Guinea figures. Dental eruption times, in keeping with other New Guinea and African figures, are earlier than those of Europeans. Parent/child correlations for height and weight do not differ significantly from those obtained for European children, suggesting that environmental factors have a minimal effect in frustrating the fulfilment of genetic growth potential.     

Infrequent and unidirectional colonization of hyperdiverse Papuadytes diving beetles in New Caledonia and New Guinea

We present a molecular phylogenetic analysis of 2808 aligned bp of rrnL, cox1, cob, H3 and 18S rRNA of all major morphological groups of Papuadytes diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) which are diverse in running water habitats throughout the Australian region. We focus on the origin of the fauna of the megadiverse islands of New Guinea and New Caledonia. Parsimony as well as Bayesian analyses suggest a basal position of Australian species in a paraphyletic series, with more recent nested radiations in New Caledonia and New Guinea. According to molecular clock analyses, both landmasses were colonized during the Miocene, which matches geological data and corroborates similar findings in other taxonomic groups. Our analyses suggest that dispersal played an important role in the formation of these large insular faunas, although successful colonization appears to be a rare event, and, in this case, is unidirectional. Whether or not a lineage is present on an island is due to chance: Papuadytes are absent from Fiji, where related Copelatus have radiated extensively in the same habitats occupied by Papuadytes in New Caledonia and New Guinea, while Copelatus are absent from New Caledonia. Lineages of Papuadytes apparently colonized New Caledonia twice, around 14 and 9 MYA according to the molecular calibration, and both lineages are derived from an Australian ancestor. The older clade is represented only by two apparently relictual mountain species (one morphologically strongly adapted to highly ephemeral habitats), while the younger clade contains at least 18 species exhibiting a great morphological diversity. The 150+ species in New Guinea are monophyletic, apparently derived from an Australian ancestor, and constitute a morphologically rather homogenous group. The tree backbone remains insufficiently supported under parsimony and Bayesian analyses, where shorter branches suggest a rapid sequence of major branching events.     

Trace elements in human scalp hair and soil in irian jaya

Pb, Cd, and Ni contents were determined in the scalp hair of the Asmat of Irian Jaya (Indonesian New Guinea) on 35 adult subjects. These data are presented together with those of Al, Ca, Ti, Fe, Cu, Zn and Sr, which were determined in previous research on the same group. Hair samples were analyzed by EDXRS and ICP. Trace elements were also determined in 12 soil samples from the same area by EDXRS (Al, Si, K, Ca, Fe) and ICP (Cu, Sr, Ti), and by AAS (Cd, Ni, Pb). When hair element levels are compared and discussed with those of other New Guinea populations, acculturated and nonacculturated tropical groups, populations from Western countries and from polluted areas, and “recommended levels” in the literature, they greatly exceed Western levels and generally fit those of other New Guinea populations, stressing the importance of common environment, subsistence, and behavior. The results of soil analyses are consistent with the presence of those elements in hair, and their quantitative distribution follows a common trend. Metal mobility in soil, patterns of absorption, and transfer from soil to plants and to humans are considered here.     

Taxonomy of new relatives of Onthophagus?catenatus Lansberge, 1883 from New Guinea (Coleoptera,?Scarabaeidae,Scarabaeinae)

Four new taxa from New Guinea are proposed in the dung beetle genus Onthophagus Latreille, 1802, all in the operational group of Onthophagus catenatus Lansberge, 1883. The group is discussed, defined, and the five taxa included are listed, keyed, and diagnosed. Three new species are described: Onthophagus abmisibilus (from West New Guinea, Indonesia), Onthophagus kokodanus, Onthophagus kokosquamatus (both from Papua New Guinea). One new species comprises a lowland and an upland subspecies: Onthophagus kokodanus kokodanus and kokodanus hagenaltus (both in Papua New Guinea).     

Feral populations of the Australian Red-Claw crayfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cherax quadricarinatus</Emphasis> von Martens) in water supply catchments of Singapore

The Red-Claw crayfish, Cherax quadricarinatus von Martens, is native to freshwater habitats of northern Australia and Papua New Guinea. Owing to its large size and suitability for aquaculture, C. quadricarinatus has been widely translocated around the world. Unfortunately, C. quadricarinatus is also recognised as invasive, having already established feral populations in South Africa, Mexico, Jamaica and Puerto Rico. The hardiness and conspicuous colouration of C. quadricarinatus has also made it popular in the aquarium trade worldwide, including Singapore. Here, we report the establishment of feral populations of C. quadricarinatus in the water supply catchments of Singapore.     

Two unusual species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Physalacria</Emphasis> (Basidiomycetes,Agaricales) collected in New Zealand and Papua New Guinea during mycological expeditions by the National Science Museum,Tokyo

Two unusual species of Physalacria from New Zealand and Papua New Guinea are described and illustrated. Physalacria pseudotropica from South Island in New Zealand and P. tropica from Papua New Guinea are recorded for the first time.