title: Radiocarbon and DNA evidence for a pre-Columbian introduction of Polynesian chickens to Chile.
abstract: Two issues long debated among Pacific and American prehistorians are (i) whether there was a pre-Columbian introduction of chicken (Gallus gallus) to the Americas and (ii) whether Polynesian contact with South America might be identified archaeologically, through the recovery of remains of unquestionable Polynesian origin. We present a radiocarbon date and an ancient DNA sequence from a single chicken bone recovered from the archaeological site of El Arenal-1, on the Arauco Peninsula, Chile. These results not only provide firm evidence for the pre-Columbian introduction of chickens to the Americas, but strongly suggest that it was a Polynesian introduction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anthropology and Allan Wilson Centre for Molecular Ecology and Evolution, University of Auckland, Auckland 1142, New Zealand. asto062@c.auckland.ac.nz
authors.forename: Alice A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.forename: José Miguel
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ramírez
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Quiroz
authors.forename: David V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Burley
authors.forename: David J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Addison
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.forename: Atholl J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Terry L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Hunt
authors.forename: J Stephen
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Athens
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huynen
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Matisoo-Smith
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001106:Archaeology / Q000379:methods*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002244:Carbon / Q000032:analysis*; D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002645:Chickens; D002677:Chile; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry; D005580:Fossils; D005843:Geography; D049690:History, Ancient; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011114:Polynesia; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid
chemical_list: D002250:Carbon Radioisotopes; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial; D002244:Carbon; D004247:DNA