本研究以分子生物學切入，探討栽培作物之親緣地理與台灣原住民族間遷移與文化交流的相關性。針對台灣地區著名的成癮性植物：檳榔（Areca catechu L.），並在南島語族部落樣本作為研究台灣原住民族遷徙的新方法切入點。本研究使用分子生物技術（微衛星分子標記，microsatellite）來檢驗非商業栽植的檳榔族群在台灣的親緣地理及原住民族遷移交流情形，嘗試進行跨學科領域的整合，一窺族群間人、物的交流現象。研究結果呈現：檳榔親緣近，居住地理距離遠（遠距交流）的族群有：北平埔－卑南、西達悟－北平埔、中平埔－排灣。檳榔親緣遠，居住地理距離近（近距不交流）的族群為：泰雅－賽德克、南阿美—卑南。遠距交流的結果符合各族群的起源歷史或傳說，而近距不交流則反映出族群間的文化隔閡。判讀檳榔微衛星基因類群，並了解其親緣地理，可以作為族群間遷移過程或文化隔閡的有力佐證，爲研究人類歷史提供跨學科領域的新面向。
This research adopted molecular biology and phylogeographic points of view, to explore the betel exchanges during ethic migration and cultural interaction among indigenous peoples of Taiwan. This research investigates the famous addictive plants in Asia: betel (Areca catechu L.) and used the tribal samples around the plain area in Taiwan. In this study, molecular techniques of microsatellitte DNA attempt to examine the relatedness of non-commercial betel and tribal cultivation in Taiwan, which indicates how the indigenous people in Taiwan migrate with marriage and/or cultural exchange. This interdisciplinary work can be a materistic glimpse into the ethnic groups between peoples and things. The results indicated: 1) long-distance exchange of betel echoes the genetic relatedness of tribal original legands between certain ethnic groups: North Pingpu/ Puyuma, West Yami/ North Pingpu, and Middle Pingpu/ Paiwan. 2) nearby neighborhood with genetic isolation reflect cultural barrier, such as Atayal/ Seediq, as well as South Amis/ Puyuma. This research confirms that areca genetic relationships across indigenous peoples are related to their historic migration and cultural exchanges, and ethnic crops during migration are capable to offer insights on human history and anthropology.
