Southern Islands Research Articles

Ancient genomes from the last three millennia support multiple human dispersals into Wallacea

Previous research indicates that human genetic diversity in Wallacea—islands in present-day Eastern Indonesia and Timor-Leste that were never part of the Sunda or Sahul continental shelves—has been shaped by complex interactions between migrating Austronesian farmers and indigenous hunter–gatherer communities. Yet, inferences based on present-day groups proved insufficient to disentangle this region’s demographic movements and admixture timings. Here, we investigate the spatio-temporal patterns of variation in Wallacea based on genome-wide data from 16 ancient individuals (2600–250 years BP) from the North Moluccas, Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara. While ancestry in the northern islands primarily reflects contact between Austronesian- and Papuan-related groups, ancestry in the southern islands reveals additional contributions from Mainland Southeast Asia that seem to predate the arrival of Austronesians. Admixture time estimates further support multiple and/or continuous admixture involving Papuan- and Asian-related groups throughout Wallacea. Our results clarify previously debated times of admixture and suggest that the Neolithic dispersals into Island Southeast Asia are associated with the spread of multiple genetic ancestries.

A Study on the Vulnerability of the Gross Primary Production of Rubber Plantations to Regional Short-Term Flash Drought over Hainan Island

Rapidly developing droughts, including flash droughts, have occurred frequently in recent years, causing significant damage to agroforestry ecosystems, and they are expected to increase in the future due to global warming. The artificial forest area in China is the largest in the world, and its carbon budget is crucial to the global carbon sink. As the most prominent plantation plant in the tropics, the rubber (Hevea brasiliensis (Willd. ex A. Juss.) Muell. Arg.) ecosystem not only has important economic significance, but also has the potential to be a major natural carbon sink in hot areas. Frequent drought events have a significant impact on rubber ecosystem productivity, yet there have been few reports on the vulnerability of rubber productivity to drought. The objective of this study is to evaluate the vulnerability of rubber ecosystem gross primary production (GPP) to short-term flash drought (STFD) in Hainan Island, utilizing the localized EC-LUE model (eddy covariance–light use efficiency) validated by flux tower observations as the research tool to conduct the scenario simulations which defined by standard relative humidity index (SRHI), in a total of 96 scenarios (timing × intensity). The results show that, in terms of time, the rubber ecosystem in Hainan Island has the highest vulnerability to STFD during the early rainy season and the lowest at the end of the rainy season. From the dry season to the rainy season, the impact of STFD gradually extends to the northeast. Spatially, the vulnerability of the northern island is higher than that of the southern island and that of the western part is higher than that of eastern Hainan Island. With the increase in STFD intensity, the spatial distribution center of the vulnerability of rubber ecosystem GPP in Hainan Island gradually moves southward. The spatiotemporal pattern of the vulnerability of the rubber ecosystem GPP to STFD over Hainan Island plotted by this study is expected to provide decision makers with more accurate information on the prevention and control of drought disaster risk in rubber ecosystems.

TBE in Japan

In Japan, the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), one of mosquito-borne flaviviruses, has been widely endemic on the main and on the southern islands with more than 1,000 Japanese encephalitis (JE) cases reported annually in the late 1960s. In contrast, until 1993, no TBE case had ever been reported and it was considered that there was no endemic focus of TBEV.

Seismic clues into the origin of polygonal faulting and pockmarks in the Great South Basin, New Zealand

Description Geologic feature: Polygonal faulting and pockmarks in the Great South Basin New Zealand Appearance: Dense faulting among horizons in cross section and reflector concave features in seismic sections Map view appearance: Dense faulting and multiple circular features Features with a similar appearance: Tectonic faulting, mounds, syneresis, carbonate mounds, and dissolution features Formation: Rakiura Group, offshore, Great South Basin, southern New Zealand Location: Great South Basin, southern side of the Southern Island in New Zealand Age: Eocene Data sets: A 3D seismic reflection data, from New Zealand Petroleum and Minerals (NZP&M), New Zealand Seismic attributes: Variance, curvature, dip magnitude, and color blending

Spatial phylogenetics of Japanese ferns: Patterns, processes, and implications for conservation.

PremiseBiodiversity is often only measured with species richness; however, this metric ignores evolutionary history and is not sufficient for making conservation decisions. Here, we characterize multiple facets and drivers of biodiversity to understand how these relate to bioregions and conservation status in the ferns of Japan.MethodsWe compiled a community data set of 1239 grid cells (20 × 20 km each) including 672 taxa based on >300,000 specimen records. We combined the community data with a phylogeny and functional traits to analyze taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional diversity and modeled biodiversity metrics in response to environmental factors and reproductive mode. Hierarchical clustering was used to delimit bioregions. Conservation status and threats were assessed by comparing the overlap of significantly diverse grid cells with conservation zones and range maps of native Japanese deer.ResultsTaxonomic richness was highest at mid‐latitudes. Phylogenetic and functional diversity and phylogenetic endemism were highest in small southern islands. Relative phylogenetic and functional diversity were high at high and low latitudes, and low at mid‐latitudes. Grid cells were grouped into three (phylogenetic) or four (taxonomic) major bioregions. Temperature and apomixis were identified as drivers of biodiversity patterns. Conservation status was generally high for grid cells with significantly high biodiversity, but the threat due to herbivory by deer was greater for taxonomic richness than other metrics.ConclusionsOur integrative approach reveals previously undetected patterns and drivers of biodiversity in the ferns of Japan. Future conservation efforts should recognize that threats can vary by biodiversity metric and consider multiple metrics when establishing conservation priorities.

Phylogeography of the widespread New Zealand tree lancewood/horoeka (Pseudopanax crassifolius; Araliaceae)

ABSTRACT Understanding how genetic variation is spatially distributed is necessary for understanding the processes that generate and maintain biodiversity. However, there has been little investigation into the phylogeography of widespread forest trees in Aotearoa New Zealand with studies to date showing little congruence in phylogeographic patterns. Pseudopanax crassifolius (lancewood/horoeka) is a widespread lowland forest tree endemic to Aotearoa New Zealand. We investigated the phylogeography of this species using microsatellites and chloroplast haplotypes and compare the results to published results from the closely-related P. ferox, which also has a widespread lowland distribution, but differs in its ecological preferences. Microsatellite genotypes revealed two weakly differentiated genetic clusters within P. crassifolius. One cluster comprised all individuals from the North Island plus those from the north-eastern and central-eastern South Island. The second cluster, which had lower levels of genetic variation than the northern cluster, encompassed the southern and western South Island. The southern cluster exhibited lower genetic diversity, particularly in the southern South Island, suggesting that the species was severely restricted, or even extirpated, from this region during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). This result contrasts with the high level of genetic structuring observed in the closely-related P. ferox. There was evidence of asymmetric chloroplast introgression from P. ferox into P. crassifolius in the south-eastern South Island. Alternative scenarios that may have led to this asymmetric introgression are discussed.

Extralinguistic features of the development of modern English in New Zealand

The purpose of the study is to determine the trends of linguistic development in the territory of the New Zealand region within the framework of the redistribution of ethnosociogroups, as well as to assess the linguistic prospects of the southern and northern island parts in a comparative analysis. The article reveals the main extralinguistic factors influencing the linguistic space of the south and north of New Zealand, which provoke evolutionary linguistic shifts with the formation of new variations of the language. The most important comparative characteristics of ethnolinguistic groups are identified and described on the basis of a statistical assessment of their redistribution over the past few years, taking into account covid realities. The subject of the study is the New Zealand language space at the present stage of development. The scientific novelty of the study is to present the current language situation in New Zealand based on a comparison of the changing ethnic and sociolinguistic conjuncture of the southern and northern islands. Official statistical data on the New Zealand region, as well as a socio-ethnic atlas with forecasting up to and including 2038, were used as materials. The study provides a justification for the linguistic shift in the territory of New Zealand, and also presents a summary table of comparative data on the ethnic composition and linguistic groups of the southern and northern regions with an assessment of possible scenarios for future language development in the context of ethnosociolinguistics.

INGO Capacity-Building within Poor Communities throughout the Philippines

The research case below attempts to capture and summarize many years of work in the trenches with struggling Filipinos as they have had to combat many travails. Overcoming the dictator Ferdinand Marco’ corruption, civil conflicts between the north and southern islands of the nation, extreme poverty for tens of millions of people, and the never-ending natural disasters of earthquakes, volcanoes, floods and more have only exacerbated the people’s suffering. Public policy and both national and local governments had done little to combat Filipino poverty. With the above context, however, a small set of strategies since 1990 has sought to help people “weather the storms” of their lives. A private International Non-Government Organization (INGO) known as the Philippines Economic Development Foundation (PEDF) began in an American classroom, and gradually rolled out a mix of international development efforts to assist families throughout the Philippines. The analysis below summarizes such efforts: Capacity-building, microcredit, mentoring of microloan recipients, training and education, and more. The article concludes with a summary and future prospects as the new decade of 2020-2030 rolls forward.

“Against Muhammad’s Perfidy”: The Jesuit Francisco Combés and His Relación de las islas Filipinas (c.1654)

Abstract This article analyzes the centrality of the Jesuit missionaries as indispensable agents in re-establishing negotiations with the Muslims of Mindanao and Sulu. In doing so, I discuss an unpublished Jesuit report: the Relación de las islas Filipinas (Manila, 1654) by the Jesuit Juan Francisco Combés (1620–65), which willfully conflated religious conversion with military intervention and conquest in the interests of securing a permanent base of operations in the southern Philippines. Spanish hegemony in the region was always contested. Therefore, Jesuit superiors strove to convince the civil authorities of Manila, and particularly the governor of the Philippines, don Sabiniano Manrique de Lara (in office 1653–63), to leave definitively the military strongholds in the Moluccas and instead to reinforce the military presidios located in the southern islands of Mindanao as the best way to stop the Muslim raids. Finally, the postscript analyzes the martyrdom of the Jesuits Alejandro López (1604–55) and Juan de Montiel (1632–55) as a propagandistic tool to cement the Jesuit contribution to the Spanish conquest and identify it with Catholic evangelization.

Metabolomic Profiling of Malaysian and New Zealand Honey Using Concatenated NMR and HRMS Datasets.

This study aims to compare the metabolomic profiles of Malaysian and New Zealand honey while determining their anti-oncogenic activity for potential prophylactic functions. Metabolomics tools including multivariate analysis were applied on concatenated LC-HRMS and NMR datasets to afford an intensive chemical profile of honey samples and have a snapshot of the bioactive metabolites in the respective collections. Malaysian samples were found to have higher sugar and polyphenolic content, while New Zealand samples afforded higher concentration of low molecular weight (MW) lipids. However, New Zealand honey collected from the northern islands had higher concentration of acetylated saccharides, while those from the southern islands yielded higher low MW phenolic metabolites that were comparable to Malaysian honey. Mild anti-oncogenic compounds against breast cancer cell line ZR75 were putatively identified in Malaysian honey that included earlier described antioxidants such as gingerdiol, 2-hexylphenol-O-β-D-xylopyranoside, plastoquinone, tropine isovalerate, plumerinine, and 3,5-(12-phenyl-8-dodecenyl)resorcinol, along with several phenolic esters and lignans.

Dengue Fever in Italy: The "Eternal Return" of an Emerging Arboviral Disease.

Enhanced surveillance for dengue virus (DENV) infections in Italy has been implemented since 2012, with annual reports from the National Health Institute. In this study, we summarize available evidence on the epidemiology of officially notified DENV infections from 2010–2021. In total, 1043 DENV infection cases were diagnosed, and most of them occurred in travelers, with only 11 autochthonous cases. The annual incidence rates of DENV infections peaked during 2019 with 0.277 cases per 100,000 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.187–0.267), (age-adjusted incidence rate: 0.328, 95% CI 0.314–0.314). Cases of DENV were clustered during the summer months of July (11.4%), August (19.3%), and September (12.7%). The areas characterized by higher notification rates were north-western (29.0%), and mostly north-eastern Italy (41.3%). The risk for DENV infection in travelers increased in the time period 2015–2019 (risk ratio [RR] 1.808, 95% CI 1.594–2.051) and even during 2020–2021 (RR 1.771, 95% CI 1.238–2.543). Higher risk for DENV was additionally reported in male subjects compared with females subjects, and aged 25 to 44 years, and in individuals from northern and central Italy compared to southern regions and islands. In a multivariable Poisson regression model, the increased number of travelers per 100 inhabitants (incidence rate ratio [IRR] 1.065, 95% CI 1.036–1.096), the incidence in other countries (IRR 1.323, 95% CI 1.165–1.481), the share of individuals aged 25 to 44 years (IRR 1.622, 95% CI 1.338–1.968), and foreign-born residents (IRR 2.717, 95% CI 1.555–3.881), were identified as effectors of annual incidence. In summary, although the circulation of DENV remains clustered among travelers, enhanced surveillance is vital for the early detection of human cases and the prompt implementation of response measures.

The long-legged flies (Diptera: Dolichopodidae) from Kurile Islands, with description of a new species of the genus Sciapus Zeller, 1842

An annotated list of dolichopodid species recorded from Kurile Archipelago (Russia) is given for the first time. Sciapus basarukini sp. n. from Kunashir Island is described and illustrated. New records for 26 species, including 8 species new for the Kurile Islands, are presented. Long-legged flies are recorded for the first time from the Anuchina, Tanfilyeva, Polonskogo, Urup, Chirpoy, Brat-Chirpoyev, Simushir, Ushishir, Matua, Raikoke, Paramushir, Kharimkotan, Makanrushi, Atlasov, and Onekotan islands. Two species are excluded from the fauna of Kurils. In total, 54 species are recorded from the Kurile Archipelago that appa¬rently makes up 50–60% of the actual dolichopodid fauna in this region. The trends discovered on the Kurile Islands for plant species, i.e. the landscape diversity and the number of plant species increase from small to large islands, and decrease from southern islands northward, are generally supported by the case of flies of the family Dolichopodidae.

Social and Cultural Influences on Traditional Balinese House Pattern in the Highland Areas of Eastern Bali

The design of a traditional Balinese house is based on the polarity principle, which states that the world is divided into two opposing poles. As a result, the orientation and form of space influence the physical landscape of Bali, including house plans. The topography of Bali, with the plateau running through the center of the island from west to east, causes changes in the spatial orientation system in various locations throughout the island. This condition is due to the fact that spirituality is based on geography, with high areas thought to be the abodes of the gods. As a result, the spatial orientation patterns of the island's southern and northern regions differ. Furthermore, many settlements in the eastern part of the island of Bali have unique pattern variations due to the island's unique orientation system. This individuality has an impact on local customs, such as traditional house design. To investigate this uniqueness, this article examines traditional residential patterns in several villages in eastern Bali. It investigates through the examination of buildings and exposure to developments and spatial changes associated with people's daily activities. This approach includes visual analysis and stories about community cultural activities. Geographic orientation, according to this study, has an impact on settlement patterns. Even though they are close to one another, the spatial layout of customary settlements differs.

Research Publication Experience as a Requirement for Board Examination Acceptance to Promote Scholarly Activities of Pediatric Residents.

Introduction: Scholarship is an essential component of postgraduate education. This study’s objective was to investigate the effect of a new reform requiring research publication experience before taking the pediatric board examination to promote scholarly activities among pediatric residents in Japan. Methods: We conducted an experimental study from 2015 to 2018 to investigate the effectiveness of this reform for promoting scholarly activities among Japanese pediatric residents. Results: Of all 2524 participants, the number of examinees before and after the reform was 1580 and 944, respectively. The yearly number of the residents’ presentations and publications during their residency was 1.2 (SD 0.9) and 0.06 (SD 0.16), respectively, before the reform and 1.3 (SD 1.0) and 0.21 (SD 0.18), respectively, after the reform. Multiple regression showed the post-reform examinees (β = 0.37, p < 0.01) and the number of research presentations (β = 0.28, p < 0.01) were significantly associated with the number of research publications during the residency. While no contributive variables were found in the institution types, residents in the Kyushu and Okinawa area (i.e., southern island area in Japan) published fewer articles than those in the Tokyo area (β = −0.05, p = 0.03). Conclusions: The newly implemented policy requiring residents to publish research articles as a board examination prerequisite effectively promotes research activities among pediatric residents.

The role of anthropogenic factors in forest transformation in Southern Sakhalin

The article analyzes the forests changes in the south part of Sakhalin Island from the original, natural state as a result of its habitation and economic development. The most essential disturbances of forest cover occurred in the first half of the last century when 9 pulp-and-paper mills were built by Japanese in southern island. All acceptable and more productive dark coniferous forests for providing these mills were cut down. Moreover, significant share of the forests was destroyed because of repeated and large-scale fires, creating agricultural lands and habitable territories, construction of roads, power lines, oil-and-gas pipelines, etc. The most considerable forests transformation was on the territory of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, and also in Korsakovsky, Dolinsky, Anivsky, Kholmsky and Nevelsky districts.

Vessel risks to marine wildlife in the Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area and the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage

The Arctic is changing rapidly due to climate change, which is allowing unprecedented levels of vessel traffic to transit the region. Vessel traffic can negatively affect marine wildlife in a number of ways, particularly in areas where vessels overlap with high concentrations of ecologically important species, and the significance of these impacts are of increased concern when the wildlife are also culturally important. Tallurutiup Imanga National Marine Conservation Area, located in Lancaster Sound, Nunavut, Canada, at the eastern entrance to the Northwest Passage, is experiencing the greatest levels of vessel traffic in the Canadian Arctic, and is important habitat for marine wildlife, including marine mammals and seabirds. Here, we examined the overlap between vessel traffic, including modeled underwater noise levels, and the distribution of two cetacean species, beluga and narwhal, and three seabird species, thick-billed murre, northern fulmar, and black-legged kittiwake. Narwhal had the highest vessel risk in Eclipse Sound and Milne Inlet, all three seabirds had high vessel risk at the eastern entrance to Eclipse Sound, with additional areas for northern fulmar at southern Devon Island and for black-legged kittiwake at Prince Leopold Island, and belugas had the highest vessel risk along southern and eastern Devon Island. Our results provide crucial information for implementing monitoring, conservation, and management initiatives for species inhabiting this protected area, and allow for a better understanding of the potential cultural implications of vessel-based marine wildlife impacts that will affect traditional subsistence hunting and local livelihoods.

‘Awakening the Stones’: The Nieri Performance, Gardens and Regeneration in Tanna, Vanuatu

ABSTRACT In 2017, islanders from six villages on the southern island of Tanna, in the archipelago of Vanuatu, sculpted more than 50,000 taro into a large ship for the nieri, the premier Tannese exchange based on mythic injunctions to feed allies and protect land. Ships, canoes and stones are generative forms in Tanna and are woven into the interstices of daily life, gardens and ritual. This ritual, planned after the category 5 2015 Cyclone Pam destroyed gardens in Tanna, was also designed to ‘awaken the stones’ which ensure the fertility of gardens. The nieri reasserts the material and spiritual primacy of gardens through the exchange of food that engenders a particular kind of sociality and person in Tanna. During the performance, taro were swapped for yam from six coastal villages. Closely allied, taro and yam are gendered beings whose lives are entangled in the relational worlds of humans and other non-human beings. The fluid and ephemeral art forms that characterise Tannese ceremonial life are dependent upon and attuned to the cycle of the yam and taro garden. I explore how the ‘taro ship’ gathers the multiple relations and diversities that emanate from gardens. The nieri and the spectacle of taro ‘becoming’ ship, makes visible social, cosmological and ecological relations through the aesthetic forms that connect the everyday and myth.

A baseline analysis of marine debris on southern islands of Belize

Marine debris is a global issue with acute impacts. Using beach transect surveys, this study investigates debris prevalence on 7 islands in the Caribbean country of Belize. 1754 items were cataloged based on object size, form, material, condition, and economic use. Most of the litter was plastics (68.1%). Styrofoam was the second highest in abundance (9.46%), followed by foam/rubber items (8.04%), glass (3.82%), metal (2.57%), and aluminum (1.94%). Most litter was associated with an urban source (74.8%), while 4.2% and 2.1% were linked to industrial and fishing activities respectively. This study provides a novel baseline for future studies in the scarcely studied region, especially as Belize's economy continues in the conscious shift away from single-use plastic and styrofoam products.

Forty-Seven Years of Discourse: An Analysis of Japanese Journal Articles about Shimao Toshio’s Concept of Yaponeshia

Abstract This article analyses the discourse around Shimao Toshio’s concept of Yaponeshia, which addresses Okinawa’s relationship to mainland Japan. This concept, first outlined in Shimao’s essay “Yaponeshia no nekko” (The Roots of Yaponeshia) (1961), provides a whole new perspective from which this relationship can be viewed. To gain an understanding of the discourse which subsequently has evolved among Japanese scholars and critics, journal articles published between 1970 and 2017 will be analysed using Siegfried Jäger’s method of critical discourse analysis. The analysis will show that Shimao’s Yaponeshia idea has been (re-)interpreted by many academics and critics who expanded it with their own theories. The discourse about the “southern islands” (nantō) and the “reversion” of Okinawa to Japan play a major role in how Okinawa, as shown in the Yaponeshia concept, is portrayed: on the one hand, the culture of Okinawa is seen as a previous stage of the culture of mainland Japan; on the other hand, however, the culture of Okinawa is described as being different from that of Japan and as something that has to be protected from being assimilated by the main islands. By addressing different perspectives on Okinawan culture, over the past decades the Yaponeshia concept has slowly developed into a kind of cultural theory that also finds its way into other academic fields.

Land Cover and Coastline Change Assessment of Nijhum Dwip, Bangladesh, using Geospatial Analysis

Nijhum Dwip is a southern island of Bangladesh isolated from the mainland, in the convergence of the Meghna River and the Bay of Bengal. This island has studied through overlay analysis and supervised classification by geospatial and remote sensing technique, over 38 years (1980-2018) using multitemporal Landsat MSS, TM, OLI, and TIRS satellite images with identification of historical changes. This landform is facing frequent shifting of its coastline and leading to sequential changes on the land surface. Analysis revealed substantial growth of settlement and agricultural land whereas significant lessening on vegetation cover and open space. In 1990 agricultural land was 4.47 km2 (13.29%) and improved to 9.16 km2 (19.17%) in 2018. Similarly, settlement also increased from 1.92 km2 (4.79%) in 1999 to 5.72 km2 (11.97%) in 2018. Conversely, vegetation was primarily 8.02 km2 (27.71%), 18.70 km2 (55.61%), 20.97 km2 (52.29%), 18.47 km2 (36.28%) and 15.28 km2 (31.98%) in 1980,1990,1999, 2010 and 2018, indicating declination. As well, water bodies and open space also fluctuated through the period because of geomorphological processes and human intervention. Besides, the least and highest unstable char land was 1.15 km2 (3.42%) and 1.68 km2 (5.80%) in 1990 and 1980.