derived from a wild African gourd that floated across the ocean. However, in 2005 researchers with the Smithsonian Institution were able to use a combination of archeological and genomic data to show that the bottle gourds in the Americas are actually more similar to Asian gourds, which suggests that the American gourds may be derived from Asian gourds that were carried across the Bering land bridge by Paleo-Indians. Coconut Genomic analysis of cultivated coconut (Cocos nucifera) has shed light on the movements of Austronesian peoples. By examining 10 microsatelite loci, researchers found that there are 2 genetically distinct subpopulations of coconut – one originating in the Indian Ocean, the other in the Pacific Ocean. However, there is evidence of admixture, the transfer of genetic material, between the two populations. Given that coconuts are ideally suited for ocean dispersal, it seems possible that individuals from one population could have floated to the other. However, the locations of the admixture events are limited to Madagascar and coastal east Africa and exclude the Seychelles. This pattern coincides with the known trade routes of Austronesian sailors. Additionally, there is a genetically distinct sub-population of coconuts on the Pacific coast of Latin America which has undergone a genetic bottleneck, resulting from a founder effect; however, its ancestral population is the pacific coconut, which suggests that Austronesian peoples may have sailed as far east as the Americas. See also Genetic pollution Genomics Domestication Domesticated plants and animals of Austronesia References Domesticated animal genetics Domesticated animals Domestication of particular species