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Article Reference Krakatauia recta (Wiedemann, 1830) in coastal habitats in Singapore with a re-description and notes on its Oriental and Australasian distribution, and the description of a new related Krakatauia species from the Philippines (Diptera: Dolichopodidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Inproceedings Reference Large old tropical trees as keystone biodiversity structures: the Life on Trees program
Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation annual meeting https://www.atbc2024.org Large old tropical trees as keystone biodiversity structures: the Life on Trees program Leponce Maurice1, Basset Yves2, Aristizábal-Botero Ángela1, Albán Castillo Joaquina3, Aguilar Rengifo Guillermo4, Barbut Jérôme5, Buyck Bart5, Butterill Phil6, Calders Kim7, Carrias Jean-François8, Catchpole Damien9, D’hont Barbara7, Delabie Jacques10, Drescher Jochen11, Ertz Damien12, Heughebaert André13, Hofstetter Valérie14, Leroy Céline15, Leveque Antoine16, Macedo Cuenca Victor4, Melki Frédéric17, Michaux Johan18, Ocupa Horna Luis19, Pillaca Huacre Luis3, Poirier Eddy20, Ramage Thibault21, Rougerie Rodolphe5, Rouhan Germinal5, Rufray Vincent17, Salas Guererro Marcos4, Scheu Stefan11, Schmidl Jürgen22, Silva Dávila Diana3, Valenzuela Gamarra Luis23, Vanderpoorten Alain18, Villemant Claire5, Youdjou Nabil1, Pascal Olivier17 1 Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Vautier st. 29, Brussels, 1000, Belgium; 2 Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Panama; 3 Museo de Historia Natural, Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Lima, Peru; 4 Servicio Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas por el Estado, Ministerio del Ambiente, Peru; 5 Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, France; 6 Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice,Czech Republic; 7 Ghent University, Belgium; 8 Université Clermont-Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France; 9 Independent Consultant, Lima, Peru; 10 Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau – CEPEC, Itabuna, Brasil; 11 Göttingen University, Germany; 12 Meise Botanic Garden, Belgium; 13 Belgian Biodiversity Platform, Brussels, Belgium; 14 AGROSCOPE, Nyon, Switzerland; 15 AMAP (Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, CNRS, INRAE, IRD), Montpellier, France; 16 PatriNat (OFB-CNRS-MNHN), Paris, France; 17 Fonds de Dotation Biotope Pour La Nature, Mèze, France; 18 Université de Liège, Belgique; 19 Centro de Investigación en Biología Tropical y Conservación, Piura, Perú ; 20 Independent entomologist, Cayenne, Guyane ; 21 Independent entomologist, Concarneau, France ; 22 Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. ; 22 Jardín Botánico de Missouri, Peru E-mail: (presenting author): mleponce@naturalsciences.be The aim of the Life on Trees (LOT, www.lifeontrees.org) program is to generate baseline knowledge about the number of eukaryotic species that a single large mature tropical tree can host and to understand how these communities of organisms are assembled. The program is being undertaken in the Andean Amazon biodiversity hotspot. Our first project, LOT01 in the Andean foothills in 2022, located at 400m a.s.l., involved the study of a spectacular Dussia tessmannii tree (Fabaceae), towering at 50 meters in height and 45m wide. Our second project, LOT02 in the Andes in 2023, at 2450m a.s.l., focused on a 32-meter-tall Ficus americana subsp. andicola. Surveys were carried out by professional climbers, guided by experts of the different eukaryotic groups studied (plants, fungi, animals, protists). To better understand the contribution of different tree components (bark, leaves, fruits, flowers, living and dead wood) to overall tree biodiversity, we partitioned observations into communities based on vertical strata or microhabitat and will examine similarities and nestedness in the composition of these communities. Initial findings indicate that significant diversity is harbored by the individual tree at both locations (e.g., LOT01 vs LOT02: 42 vs 114 orchid species, 28 vs 28 fern species, 200+ vs 300+ bryophyte species, and 180 vs 100+ lichen species identified). These figures set world records for their respective elevations. This confirms that large old tropical trees are important pools of biodiversity, probably related to the variety of local microhabitats and tree age.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Large-bodied sabre-toothed anchovies reveal unanticipated ecological diversity in early Palaeogene teleosts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024 OA
Inproceedings Reference Leveraging ecosystem restoration for zoonotic spillover risk mitigation
As disease regulation is a key ecosystem service, it is crucial that we better understand the role that restoring landscapes can play in reducing disease risks. Ongoing One Health studies suggest that declining biodiversity and increasing zoonotic pathogen spill-over risk are linked. Restoration processes normally aim at increasing species diversity, wherefore it is assumed that pathogens will be diluted in restored ecosystems, hence reducing the risk of zoonotic spillover. Nonetheless, the developing species composition during restorative processes will impact dilution-amplification effects. To estimate the threshold beyond which a restored ecosystem can be considered to have reached the pathogen dilution phase, it is crucial to characterise the communities of hosts, and the prevalence of pathogens, at the different stages of recovery of an ecosystem. Using interdisciplinary methods, this project has the dual aim of examining the amplification-dilution of zoonotic pathogens in a mangrove forest of the western Peninsular Malaysia, and to estimate the frequency and duration of exposure of local communities to this hazard, so as to best mitigate the risk of zoonotic pathogen spillover.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Maintaining taxonomic accuracy in genetic databases: A duty for taxonomists— Reanalysis of the DNA sequences from Mercan et al. (2024) on the genus Potamothrix (Annelida, Clitellata) in Turkish lakes
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inbook Reference Making sense of variation in sclerochronological stable isotope profiles of mollusks and fish otoliths from the early Eocene southern North Sea Basin.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Malacological inventory of a sediment sample collected around the 500-meter isobath, southwest of Iceland
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Metagenomic screening of African wild meat unveils a wide diversity of viruses
The processes involved in acquiring, trading, preparing, and consuming wild meat pose significant risks for the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases. Several major viral outbreaks have been directly linked to the wild meat supply chain, yet our knowledge of the virome in many mammals involved in this chain remains limited and disproportionately focused on certain mammalian taxa and pathogens. This report presents the findings of a metagenomic viral screening of 99 specimens belonging to 27 wild African mammal species and one domesticated species, all traded for their meat. The study focuses on tissue and swab samples collected from various regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Brussels, Belgium. A total of fifteen virus strains were detected, belonging to the families Arteriviridae, Retroviridae and Sedoreoviridae (primates), Picobirnaviridae (primates and rodents), Picornaviridae (rodents), Hepadnaviridae (hyrax), Orthoherpesviridae (artiodactylid and carnivore) and Spinareoviridae (carnivore). Several strains were detected in mammalian hosts for the first time, expanding their host range and genetic diversity. Of note is the presence of viruses genetically related to recognised zoonotic pathogens, i.e., human picobirnavirus (Orthopicobirnavirus hominis) (primates and rodents), simian foamy viruses (Simiispumavirus) (primates), and rotavirus A (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) (primates). The presence of these viruses in primates is concerning as non-human primates are phylogenetically closely related to humans, which can facilitate interspecies viral transmission. These findings underscore the high diversity of mammalian viruses and the potential risk of human infection through cross-species transmission during the close interactions with wildlife in the wild meat supply chain.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Metagenomic screening of African wild meat from Congolese markets unveils the presence of a wide diversity of viruses
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Micro-computed tomography for natural history specimens: a handbook of best practice protocols
Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT or microtomography) is a non-destructive imaging technique using X-rays which allows the digitisation of an object in three dimensions. The ability of micro-CT imaging to visualise both internal and external features of an object, without destroying the specimen, makes the technique ideal for the digitisation of valuable natural history collections. This handbook serves as a comprehensive guide to laboratory micro-CT imaging of different types of natural history specimens, including zoological, botanical, palaeontological and geological samples.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019