Small Scattered Fragments Do Not a Dwarf Make: Biological and Archaeological Data Indicate that Prehistoric Inhabitants of Palau Were Normal Sized

Current archaeological evidence from Palau in western Micronesia indicates that the archipelago was settled around 3000–3300 BP by normal sized populations; contrary to recent claims, they did not succumb to insular dwarfism

Direct application of compound-specific radiocarbon analysis of leaf waxes to establish lacustrine sediment chronology

Author Posting. © Springer, 2007. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Journal of Paleolimnology 39 (2008): 43-60, doi:10.1007/s10933-007-9094-1.This study demonstrates use of compound-specific radiocarbon analysis (CSRA) for dating Holocene lacustrine sediments from carbonate-hosted Ordy Pond, Oahu, Hawaii. Long-chain odd-numbered normal alkanes (n-alkanes), biomarkers characteristic of terrestrial higher plants, were ubiquitous in Ordy Pond sediments. The δ13C of individual n-alkanes ranged from −29.9 to −25.5‰, within the expected range for n-alkanes synthesized by land plants using the C3 or C4 carbon fixation pathway. The 14C ages of n-alkanes determined by CSRA showed remarkably good agreement with 14C dates of rare plant macrofossils obtained from nearby sedimentary horizons. In general, CSRA of n-alkanes successfully refined the age-control of the sediments. The sum of n-alkanes in each sample produced 70–170 μg of carbon (C), however, greater age errors were confirmed for samples containing less than 80 μg of C. The 14C age of n-alkanes from one particular sedimentary horizon was 4,155 years older than the value expected from the refined age-control, resulting in an apparent and arguable age discrepancy. Several lines of evidence suggest that this particular sample was contaminated by introduction of 14C-free C during preparative capillary gas chromatography. This study simultaneously highlighted the promising potential of CSRA for paleo-applications and the risks of contamination associated with micro-scale 14C measurement of individual organic compounds.This project was funded by Petroleum Research Fund (PRF #40088-ACS) and in part by Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Society (Grants in aid of research, 2003)

Small-Bodied Humans from Palau, Micronesia

UNLABELLED: Newly discovered fossil assemblages of small bodied Homo sapiens from Palau, Micronesia possess characters thought to be taxonomically primitive for the genus Homo. BACKGROUND: Recent surface collection and test excavation in limestone caves in the rock islands of Palau, Micronesia, has produced a sizeable sample of human skeletal remains dating roughly between 940-2890 cal ybp. PRINCIPLE FINDINGS: Preliminary analysis indicates that this material is important for two reasons. First, individuals from the older time horizons are small in body size even relative to "pygmoid" populations from Southeast Asia and Indonesia, and thus may represent a marked case of human insular dwarfism. Second, while possessing a number of derived features that align them with Homo sapiens, the human remains from Palau also exhibit several skeletal traits that are considered to be primitive for the genus Homo. SIGNIFICANCE: These features may be previously unrecognized developmental correlates of small body size and, if so, they may have important implications for interpreting the taxonomic affinities of fossil specimens of Homo

Forest Plant and Bird Communities in the Lau Group, Fiji

We examined species composition of forest and bird communities in relation to environmental and human disturbance gradients on Lakeba (55.9 km²), Nayau (18.4 km²), and Aiwa Levu (1.2 km²), islands in the Lau Group of Fiji, West Polynesia. The unique avifauna of West Polynesia (Fiji, Tonga, Samoa) has been subjected to prehistoric human-caused extinctions but little was previously known about this topic in the Lau Group. We expected that the degree of human disturbance would be a strong determinant of tree species composition and habitat quality for surviving landbirds, while island area would be unrelated to bird diversity.All trees > 5 cm diameter were measured and identified in 23 forest plots of 500 m² each. We recognized four forest species assemblages differentiated by composition and structure: coastal forest, dominated by widely distributed species, and three forest types with differences related more to disturbance history (stages of secondary succession following clearing or selective logging) than to environmental gradients (elevation, slope, rockiness). Our point counts (73 locations in 1 or 2 seasons) recorded 18 of the 24 species of landbirds that exist on the three islands. The relative abundance and species richness of birds were greatest in the forested habitats least disturbed by people. These differences were due mostly to increased numbers of columbid frugivores and passerine insectivores in forests on Lakeba and Aiwa Levu. Considering only forested habitats, the relative abundance and species richness of birds were greater on the small but completely forested (and uninhabited) island of Aiwa Levu than on the much larger island of Lakeba.Forest disturbance history is more important than island area in structuring both tree and landbird communities on remote Pacific islands. Even very small islands may be suitable for conservation reserves if they are protected from human disturbance

Geochemical fingerprinting of Holocene tephras in the Willaumez Isthmus District of West New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Electron microprobe analyses were conducted on volcanic glasses extracted from Holocene tephra marker beds on the Willaumez isthmus in West New Britain, Papua New Guinea. These tephra beds are pivotal in the dating of a wide range of human artefacts and manuports found in the intervening buried soils, extending back over the last 40,000 years. Three major groups can be easily separated: W-K1 and 2; W-K3 and 4; and the Dakataua tephra. Of the remaining post-W-K4 tephras, most show slightly higher FeO and CaO and lower SiO2 contents than the W-K3 and 4 group, although there is some overlap. The combination of these geochemical data sets with the known stratigraphy and radiocarbon dates has helped resolve tephra correlation where these ashes become thin and less visually diagnostic or where pumice has been resorted and redeposited by the Kulu-Dulagi River.fals

Atoll Archaeology in the Pacific

As islands formed by biogenic agents (unconsolidated carbonate sediments deposited by waves on reef platforms), atolls and table reefs, or low coral islands without lagoons, can be regarded as especially constraining habitats for human settlement. The challenges faced by people, both past and present, include low soil fertility, absence of perennial surface freshwater, and extreme vulnerability to flooding by stormsurge and sea-level rise due to low elevation of the highly fragmented landmass, only a few meters above mean sea level. There are about 300 atolls and low coral islands in the Pacific and thousands of individual islets (motu). Several archipelagoes are dominated by these limestone islands, such as the Tuamotus, the Central and Eastern Carolines, the Marshall Islands, Kiribati, and Tuvalu. Because of their small size, limited and at time fluctuating resources, and relative isolation, atolls are often perceived as marginal environments. While some human communities did not endure (Di Piazza and Pearthree 2001), a remarkable number were sustainable for centuries, taking advantage of opportunities many atolls provided and indicating a long history of resilience to environmental variability (Fitzpatrick et al. 2016). Despite these achievements, atolls have received relatively little coverage by Pacific archaeologist