Pacific 'Babes': Issues in the origins and dispersal of Pacific pigs and the potential of mitochondrial DNA analysis

We explore potential sources of genetic variation in Pacific pigs over the duration of their commensal relationships with Pacific people. Three time periods are identified as critical to understanding the history of pigs in the Pacific region: (1) the late Pleistocene-early Holocene following from human movement into Near Oceania; (2) with Lapita colonization of Remote Oceania beginning ca. 3000 bp, and (3) in Polynesia, shortly after sustained Euro-American contact (ca. late 1700s) when several new breeds were introduced into the region. This paper highlights the important role mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) work can play in detailing the origins, directions, and frequency of pig transfers, and by extension, the movements of their human carriers. Our preliminary molecular studies identify a hypervariable region of mtDNA in the genus Sus, rendering it an ideal taxon for detailed study of the issues we raise herein. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.