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Inproceedings Reference Studying the driving forces of landscape change in the surroundings of the Late Bronze Age harbor town Halla Sultan Tekke, Cyprus
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Stygobitic Candonidae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) Are Potential Environmental Indicators of Groundwater Quality in Tropical West Africa
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Subsidence Related To Groundwater Pumping For Breweries in Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Subtidal Natural Hard Substrate Quantitative Habitat Mapping: Interlinking Underwater Acoustics and Optical Imagery with Machine Learning
Subtidal natural hard substrates (SNHS) promote occupancy by rich benthic communities that provide irreplaceable and fundamental ecosystem functions, representing a global priority target for nature conservation and recognised in most European environmental legislation. However, scientifically validated methodologies for their quantitative spatial demarcation, including information on species occupancy and fine-scale environmental drivers (e.g., the effect of stone size on colonisation) are rare. This is, however, crucial information for sound ecological management. In this investigation, high-resolution (1 m) multibeam echosounder (MBES) depth and backscatter data and derivates, underwater imagery (UI) by video drop-frame, and grab sediment samples, all acquired within 32 km2 of seafloor in offshore Belgian waters, were integrated to produce a random forest (RF) spatial model, predicting the continuous distribution of the seafloor areal cover/m2 of the stones’ grain sizes promoting colonisation by sessile epilithic organisms. A semi-automated UI acquisition, processing, and analytical workflow was set up to quantitatively study the colonisation proportion of different grain sizes, identifying the colonisation potential to begin at stones with grain sizes Ø ≥ 2 cm. This parameter (i.e., % areal cover of stones Ø ≥ 2 cm/m2) was selected as the response variable for spatial predictive modelling. The model output is presented along with a protocol of error and uncertainty estimation. RF is confirmed as an accurate, versatile, and transferable mapping methodology, applicable to area-wide mapping of SNHS. UI is confirmed as an essential aid to acoustic seafloor classification, providing spatially representative numerical observations needed to carry out quantitative seafloor modelling of ecologically relevant parameters. This contribution sheds innovative insights into the ecologically relevant delineation of subtidal natural reef habitat, exploiting state-of-the-art underwater remote sensing and acoustic seafloor classification approaches.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Inproceedings Reference Sulfidic Habitats in the Frasassi Caves, Italy: A Hotspot of Subterranean Biodiversity
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference Summary of our present knowledge of the spider communities of the Galápagos archipelago. First analysis of the spider communities of the islands Santa Cruz and Isabela
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Supplementary feeding increases nestling feather corticosterone early in the breeding season in house sparrows
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Supplementary morphological information for Cornufer manus (Kraus & Allison, 2009) and Cornufer vogti (Hediger, 1934), with information on colour in life
Manus Island is part of the Admiralty Islands, a herpetologically rich but poorly studied area. Seven species of Cornufer (von Tschudi, 1838) are known to occur on the island, five of which have been described. Based on material collected from Manus Island in 2014, we here describe the first female of Cornufer manus and the first male of Cornufer vogti. Additionally, we provide new information on intraspecific variation from a further eight adult males of C. manus, two subadults of C. vogti, as well as the first photographs of both species in life.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference Supporting the One Health approach in Belgium: identification of policy-relevant organisms and tissues by BopCo
Accurate species identification is crucial in the One Health framework because it underpins the ability to effectively monitor, prevent, and mitigate the emergence and spread of human and animal infectious diseases and zoonoses. Moreover, misidentification can lead to inadequate risk assessments, allowing infectious agents or invasive alien species to spread undetected, thereby threatening biodiversity, ecosystem stability, and public health. BopCo is a Belgian research unit that provides such accurate identifications of organisms and biological tissues with relevance for policy and decision-making processes. It is jointly run by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Royal Museum for Central Africa, and has access to extensive reference collections, expert taxonomists, and a comprehensive research infrastructure. BopCo uses morphology and DNA-based approaches to handle on-demand species identification requests, and it is a partner on various projects within the One Health context. In this framework, BopCo contributes to identifying the introduction pathways and dispersal dynamics of two invasive mosquito species in Belgium, Aedes albopictus and Ae. japonicus, as part of the MEMO+ project in collaboration with Sciensano and the Institute of Tropical Medicine. Using various DNA identification techniques, BopCo verifies the species identity of the exotic mosquitoes collected at multiple points of entry. Similarly, the Medical Component of the Belgian Armed Forces is investigating the Culicidae mosquito biodiversity at foreign deployment sites. BopCo takes part in this project by providing DNA-based identifications to support the Laboratory for Vector-Borne Diseases of the Queen Astrid Military Hospital. Accurate identification of the various mosquito species is important since they are known vectors of pathogens of significant public health concern such as Western Nile virus, Plasmodium parasites, and dengue virus. Furthermore, BopCo is involved in the monitoring of (exotic) animal product imports into Belgium within the INTERCEPT project, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp. Within this project, meat intercepted from passenger’s luggage at Brussels Airport was sampled and identified using DNA barcoding to prevent the import of transmittable animal diseases and the introduction of invasive alien species. Finally, BopCo contributed to the discovery of the first occurrence of Trichobilharzia regenti in Belgium, a blood parasite of birds, which may try to infect humans, triggering painful skin lesions known as “swimmer’s itch”. Following a reported case in Kampenhout, Belgium, researchers at the Royal Museum for Central Africa and KU Leuven captured freshwater snails (the intermediate hosts) and performed a shedding experiment, after which BopCo used a DNA analysis to identify the shed parasites, unveiling the presence of T. regenti. BopCo continually seeks partnerships with research institutes and government agencies to deliver accurate species identifications within a One Health framework and other policy-relevant research contexts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Surface movement above old coal longwalls after mine closure
Although most subsidence occurs in the months and years after mining by the longwall method, surface movement is still occurring many decades after the mining. The aim of the study is to quantify the long term behavior. Satellite data (radar-interferometry) were analyzed to study an area of about 2km2 during the 18years following the closure of the underground infrastructure and the flooding of the underground workings and rock mass. It was observed that, on average, a residual downward movement took place till 7–12years after the closure, followed by a clear uplift. However, the first signs of an uplift occurred in certain sub-areas 3–4years after the closure. Zones within the area studied were identified with either larger or smaller movements. However, the spatial variation of the surface subsidence or uplift could not be directly explained by the characteristics of mining.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017