Exploring the human-mediated dispersal of commensal small mammals using dental morphology : Rattus exulans and Rattus rattus
A handful of rat species are among the most pervasive mammal species across the globe, primarily because of their close relationship with humans. The processes involved in this relationship, commensalism, are described in detail. Two rat species, Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans, are the focus of this thesis and their biology and taxonomy are described and discussed. Their modern distributions are the direct result of some of the earliest and most extensive human migration events in human history. The archaeology of the Pacific and Indian Oceans is described and migration vectors and spheres of interaction are identified. These possible patterns of human migration and exchange networks provide testable hypotheses that can be investigated using the subject rat species as proxies for long distance human movement. Modern and archaeological tooth samples of R. exulans and modern samples of R. rattus are analysed using geometric morphometrics. The results reveal important aspects of human migration and differences between these species' biology. R. exulans was likely to have been transported out of Island Southeast Asia at a very early date. Human colonisation of the Pacific occurred in a series of complex pulses
Hulme-Beaman, Ardern
Polynesian rat ; Rattus rattus ; Commensalism
Exploring the human-mediated dispersal of commensal small mammals using dental morphology : Rattus exulans and Rattus rattus. A handful of rat species are among the most pervasive mammal species across the globe, primarily because of their close relationship with humans. The processes involved in this relationship, commensalism, are described in detail. Two rat species, Rattus rattus and Rattus exulans, are the focus of this thesis and their biology and taxonomy are described and discussed. Their modern distributions are the direct result of some of the earliest and most extensive human migration events in human history. The archaeology of the Pacific and Indian Oceans is described and migration vectors and spheres of interaction are identified. These possible patterns of human migration and exchange networks provide testable hypotheses that can be investigated using the subject rat species as proxies for long distance human movement. Modern and archaeological tooth samples of R. exulans and modern samples of R. rattus are analysed using geometric morphometrics. The results reveal important aspects of human migration and differences between these species' biology. R. exulans was likely to have been transported out of Island Southeast Asia at a very early date. Human colonisation of the Pacific occurred in a series of complex pulses
exploring human mediated dispersal commensal small_mammal use dental morphology handful rat specie among pervasive mammal specie across globe primarily close_relationship human process_involve relationship describe_detail rat specie focus biology taxonomy describe discuss modern distribution direct early extensive human migration event human_history archaeology indian described migration vector spheres interaction identify possible pattern human migration exchange_network provide testable hypothesis investigate use subject rat specie proxy long_distance human movement modern archaeological tooth sample modern_sample analyse_use geometric_morphometrics reveal important_aspect human migration difference specie biology likely transport island southeast_asia human colonisation occur series complex pulse