Posted on 10/15/2015 12:24:13 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
An international team led by National Taiwan University forestry professor Chung Kuo-fang... analyzed the chloroplast DNA sequences of 604 paper mulberry samples collected from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and Pacific islands, and found that a specific haplotype, cp-17, which originated in Taiwan, is predominant across the region.
It is assumed that paper mulberry, a common East Asian tree used for making paper, was transported across the Pacific by Austronesian people, who used the tree to make bark cloth, Chung said...
Paper mulberry is a dioecious species, meaning that the male and female reproductive organs are found on separate plants.
Most Pacific paper mulberries are of a single sex, so they cannot reproduce naturally, but rely on humans for propagation, Chung said, adding that those conditions are critical to preserving the genetic structure of the tree.
The study was the first to use the migration of "commensal species" -- non-native animals or plants that are instrumental to human survival and are introduced into a region -- to support the "out of Taiwan" hypothesis, he said, adding that linguistic, archeological and genetic studies have produced important evidence that points to Taiwan as an Austronesian ancestral homeland.
The "out of Taiwan" hypothesis is a mainstream model of Austronesian expansion, which assumes that a large-scale expansion began between 5000 BC and 2500 BC, when Austronesian-speaking peoples migrated from Taiwan to Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
The research also provides insight into the dispersal of paper mulberry from southern China into northern Taiwan, as a large amount of mulberry pollen was discovered in sediments in Taipei that could be dated back to 5000 BC, about the same time pre-Austronesian-speaking peoples from southern China are believed to have migrated to Taiwan, Chung said.
(Excerpt) Read more at taipeitimes.com ...
Paper mulberry is a dioecious species, meaning that the male and female reproductive organs are found on separate plants.
Gives a new meaning to: "Ohhhh, I see you are sporting a tremendous woody"
Bark strips...
What happens if a male mulberry feels like they really are a female mulberry? Can they get a tree surgeon to do a “reassignment”?
Will they get to use the female restroom?
This is something I’ve been concerned about for a long time. If it was all Gwondonaland, then isn’t it all out of Gwondonaland?
Gondwanaland was way too long ago (assuming it ever existed).
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