Polar ecosystems feature among the last pristine areas of planet Earth, but also among the fastest changing due to global change. The long isolation history of the Southern Ocean has led to high levels of endemism, resulting in a hotspot of biodiversity for many taxa, including crustaceans (Malacostraca). Genomes represent the blueprint of this long evolution. Geographic isolation in combination with harsh and challenging sampling conditions, has left considerable biological knowledge gaps in the Southern Ocean. Closing these knowledge gaps is challenging for Antarctic amphipods because their genome sizes are highly variable and they are hard to sample. Genome size of amphipods are widely varying, ranging from 0.68 to 64.62 pg with an average of 12.85 pg (± 4.46 pg). Unfortunately, information on the genome size of amphipods remains limited, especially from polar regions. Just 65 records of amphipod genome sizes are listed in the Animal Genome Size Database, of which 17 marine species. To close the knowledge gap, I used flow cytometry to estimate the genome size of 32 Antarctic amphipod species. I successfully estimated genome sizes for 20 species, ranging from 0.45 pg to 57.28 pg (> 120-fold difference). Preliminary analyses do not show any significant correlation between depth and genome size or body size and genome size. The results provide a valuable addition to the inventory of the genome size of amphipods, especially from extreme environments.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
The paleontological collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences include a beautiful collection of 393 vertebrate specimens from the Messel Pit: 58 fish, 18 amphibians, 79 reptiles, 108 birds and 130 mammals. This collection is the largest Messel collection outside Germany and belongs to the „big four” (Smith et al. 2024). It results from a fieldwork partnership with the Seckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt between 1982 and 1988, so a few years before the Messel pit was listed in 1995 as UNESCO World Heritage site. With a few exceptions, most of the specimens have been collected by the Belgians. However, most of the specimens have been prepared by German preparators. Here we show the Messel biodiversity based on the Brussels collection. The collection is relatively well diversified and contains 24 type and figured specimens. Among them are remarkable specimens such as the holotype of the hyaenodont carnivorous mammal Lesmesodon edingeri, the paratypes of the trogon bird Masillatrogon pumilio and embalonurid bat Tachypteron franzeni, the exquisitely 3-D prepared turtle lovers Allaeochelys crassesculpta and armored crocodylia Diplocynodon deponiae, and the only skeleton of the basal perissodactyl Hallensia matthesi housed in a public collection. The archives related to this collection are currently being digitized and several new studies are now based on micro-CT scan technology allowing to „discover” hidden characters.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025 OA
