Cambaytherium is a primitive, perissodactyl-like mammal from the early Eocene Cambay Shale Formation of Gujarat, India, discovered 15 years ago. There are now more than 350 specimens of Cambaytherium, representing almost the entire dentition and skeleton. Its unique combination of plesiomorphic anatomical traits typical of archaic ungulates like phenacodontids, and derived traits that characterize early perissodactyls, offers important new insight into the expected anatomy of the common ancestor of Perissodactyla as well as the geographic center of origin of the order. Cambaytherium was a subcursorial animal better adapted for running than phenacodontids but less specialized than basal perissodactyls. Its cheek teeth are bunodont with large upper molar conules, not lophodont as in early perissodactyls; but as in perissodactyls, the lower molars have twinned metaconids and m3 has an extended hypoconulid lobe. A steep wear gradient with heavy wear in the middle of the tooth-row, and at the bases of the canines, suggests an abrasive herbivorous diet. We recognize three species of Cambaytherium: C. thewissi (~23 kg), C. gracilis (~10 kg), and C. marinus (~99 kg). Body masses were estimated from tooth size and long bone dimensions. Biostratigraphic and isotopic evidence indicate an age of c. 54.5 Ma for the Cambay Shale vertebrate fauna (the oldest continental vertebrate assemblage from India), near or prior to the initial collision with Asia. Cambaytheriidae (also including Nakusia and Perissobune) and Anthracobunidae are sister taxa, composing the clade Anthracobunia, which is the sister group of Perissodactyla. They comprise a new higher taxon, Perissodactylamorpha. Occurrence of its most primitive known member, Cambaytherium, in India suggests that Perissodactyla evolved during the Paleocene either in India or in peripheral areas of southern or southwestern Asia. Where Cambaytherium evolved, and how and when it reached India, remain unresolved. Supported by National Geographic Society, Leakey Foundation, U.S. NSF, Government of India, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Belgian Science Policy Office, and Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Canopy exploration and paraecologist training in Papua New Guinea Leponce, M. (1) (1) Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, (Maurice.Leponce@naturalsciences.be) Background: Papua New Guinea rainforests are among the most biodiverse on Earth. They still cover extensive areas but are being altered at a rapid rate. Their biodiversity is still largely unexplored especially in the treetops, called the canopy. The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, led by Prof. V. Novotny, is seeking for innovative solutions to promote ecological research, capacity building and nature conservation. Methods: For exploring the canopy biodiversity, new tools based on hot air or helium balloons were developed by a French NGO, Opération Canopée. The balloons were used to collect in situ plants and insects, ants in particular. Results: Ants reigned in the canopy. They were sometimes found living inside extraordinary myrmecophytes (Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum) which adapted their structure to accommodate the ants. A few territorial dominant ants such as Oecophylla or Crematogaster excluded each other from tree crowns, forming “ant mosaics”. Discussion/conclusion: For protecting native rainforests an innovative approach, linking biodiversity research and capacity building, was implemented. Gifted naturalists, called parataxonomists and paraecologists, were recruited in villages and trained by internationally-renowned scientists. Research stations created local employment. This source of income added to money from sponsors allowed local communities to obtain access to a higher level of education and health care without having to give in to the pressure related to deforestation. Video HD 16:9, French, English subtitles, 12min. Full version “In the treetops of Papua New Guinea” available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04h2FLb1HtA
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RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Canopy laser scanning to study the complex architecture of large old trees Barbara D'hont1 , Professor Kim Calders1 , Professor Alexandre Antonelli6 , Dr. Thomas Berg7 , Dr. Karun Dayal1 , Dr. Leonard Hambrecht5 , Dr. Maurice Leponce2,3, Prof. Arko Lucieer5 , Olivier Pascal4 , Professor Pasi Raumonen8, Professor Hans Verbeeck1 1Q-ForestLab, Department of Environment, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, 2Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels, Belgium, 3Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 4Fonds de Dotation Biotope Pour La Nature, France, 5School of Geography, Planning, and Spatial Sciences, University of Tasmania, , Australia, 6Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond, Surrey, United Kingdom, 7ARAÇÁ Project, Nova Friburgo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 8Faculty of Information Technology and Communication Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland Large trees are keystone structures providing multiple ecosystem functions in forests all around the world: they disproportionately contribute to forest biomass and biodiversity. Large trees can have an extremely complex structure, housing many epiphytes on their stem and branches. High point-density 3D point clouds, in which leaves and epiphytes in the tree can be distinguished, are useful to make the link between the distribution of organisms on the tree, the tree architecture and its microclimate. In addition, a comprehensive branching model can improve above ground biomass (AGB) estimates. Highly detailed, complete point clouds of large trees are, however, exceptionally difficult to derive. With terrestrial laser scanning, the state-of-the-art method to capture 3D tree structure, the plant material blocks the view of (or, occludes) the top part of the dense crown. Drone or airborne laser scanning data on the other hand, lacks detail in the subcanopy. Combining these two methods minimises occlusion; however, increased distance from the tree to the scanner still leads to a relatively low resolution of the canopy point clouds. To improve the level of precision of the tree point clouds, we introduce a new concept, called canopy laser scanning (CLS). With CLS, a laser scanner is operated statically inside the tree canopy, reducing the distance between the area of interest and the instrument. We lifted a high-end laser scanner (RIEGL vz-400(i)) inside the canopy of six large emergent trees. Four of these trees are located in different types of tropical rainforests in Colombia, Brazil and Peru. They are part of biodiversity programs in which organisms and their spatial distributions are studied (Life On Trees, Araçá). The two other trees are famous giants located in the wet temperate eucalypt forests of southern Tasmania. We will present the practical aspects of CLS, evaluate the extra value of using canopy scans, looking at occlusion and point cloud precision, estimate epiphyte cover and AGB. We demonstrate that canopy laser scanning opens up new opportunities in sciences in which multi-disciplinary teams perform in depth research on large individual trees.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
