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Article Reference Limited possibilities for prezygotic barriers in the reproductive behaviour of sympatric Ophthalmotilapia species (Teleostei, Cichlidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Limits of calcium isotopes diagenesis in fossil bone and enamel
Diagenesis has been recognized for decades to significantly alter the trace elements biogenic signatures in fossil tooth enamel and bone that are routinely used for paleobiological and paleoenvironmental reconstructions. This signature is modified during diagenesis according to a complex continuum between two main processes, addition and substitution. For an additive-like, or early diagenesis, the trace elements biogenic profiles can be restored by leaching secondary minerals, but this technique is inefficient for a substitutive-like, or extensive diagenesis for which secondary trace elements are incorporated into the biogenic mineral. This scheme is however unclear for Ca, the major cation in tooth enamel and bone hydroxylapatite, whose stable isotope composition (δ44/42Ca) also conveys biological and environmental information. We present a suite of leaching experiments for monitoring δ44/42Ca values in artificial and natural fossil enamel and bone from different settings. The results show that enamel δ44/42Ca values are insensitive to an additive-like diagenesis that involves the formation of secondary Ca- carbonate mineral phases, while bone shows a consistent offset toward 44Ca-enriched values, that can be restored to the biogenic baseline by a leaching procedure. In the context of a substitutive-like diagenesis, bone exhibits constant δ44/42Ca values, insensitive to leaching, and shows a REE pattern symptomatic of extensive diagenesis. Such a REE pattern can be observed in fossil enamel for which δ44/42Ca values are still fluctuating and follow a trophic pattern. We conclude that Ca isotopes in fossil enamel are probably not prone to extensive diagenesis and argue that this immunity is due to the very low porosity of enamel that cannot accommodate enough secondary minerals to significantly modify the isotopic composition of the enamel Ca pool.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Linear to non-linear relationship between vein spacing and layer thickness in centimetre- to decimetre-scale siliciclastic multilayers from the High-Ardenne slate belt (Belgium, Germany)
Typical spacing distributions have frequently been described for fractures in thin sedimentary layers (<1 m). Regularly spaced fractures often result from saturation during fracture development. Spatial distribution of veins is less commonly studied although it also can show regular patterns. This study focuses on the spatial distribution of quartz veins in Lower Devonian siliciclastic multilayer sequences from the High-Ardenne slate belt (Belgium, Germany) and compares the observed vein spacing with published fracture spacing in order (i) to investigate the effect of the layer thickness to vein spacing and (ii) to understand the processes of early vein development during the late stages of burial in a sedimentary basin at the onset of orogeny. The results show that a quasi linear relationship between vein spacing and layer thickness in thin (<40 cm) competent sandstone layers, embedded in a pelitic matrix, becomes non-linear in thicker sandstone layers (>40 cm). Vein spacing tends to increase to a maximum value becoming more or less independent of layer thickness. The resemblance with fracture spacing suggests that in an unfractured rock vein saturation can occur. High fluid pressures are responsible for vein nucleation but the stress state around the initial veins controls the spacing pattern. Subsequently, in a vein-saturated rock, or the existing veins will thicken by the process of crack-sealing, or a new cross-cutting vein generation will develop in case the regional stress field changes relatively with respect to the existing veins.
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference Linkages between freshwater benthic ecosystems and adjacent ecosystems: drivers of biodiversity and ecological processes?
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Linking present environment and reproductive modes segregation (Geographic parthenogenesis) in Eucypris virens (Crustacea: Ostracoda)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Linking present environment and the segregation of reproductive modes (geographic parthenogenesis) in Eucypris virens (Crustacea: Ostracoda)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Linking present environment and reproductive modes segregation (Geographic parthenogenesis) in Eucypris virens (Crustacea: Ostracoda).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Litter-dwelling ants as bioindicators to gauge the sustainability of small arboreal monocultures embedded in the Amazonian rainforest
One of the greatest threats to biodiversity and the sustainable functioning of ecosystems is the clearing of forests for agriculture. Because litter-dwelling ants are very good bioindicators of man-made disturbance, we used them to compare monospecific plantations of acacia trees, cocoa trees, rubber trees and pine trees with the surrounding Neotropical rainforest (in contrast to previous studies on forest fragments embedded in industrial monocultures). Although the global level of species turnover was weak, species richness decreased along a gradient from the forest (including a treefall gap) to the tree plantations among which the highest number of species was noted for the cocoa trees, which are known to be a good compromise between agriculture and conservation. Species composition was significantly different between natural habitats and the plantations that, in turn, were different from each other. Compared to the forest, alterations in the ant communities were (1) highest for the acacia and rubber trees, (2) intermediate for the cocoa trees, and, (3) surprisingly, far lower for the pine trees, likely due to very abundant litter. Functional traits only separated the rubber tree plantation from the other habitats due to the higher presence of exotic and leaf-cutting ants. This study shows that small monospecific stands are likely sustainable when embedded in the rainforest and that environmentally-friendly strategies can be planned accordingly.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Local extinction processes rather than edge effects affect ground beetle assemblages from fragmented and urbanized old beech forests
Local extinction of specialist species due to fragmentation is one of the major causes of biodiversity loss. Increased extinction rates in smaller fragments are expected to result from both smaller local population sizes, which increase the effect of environmental or demographic stochasticity, and increased edge effects. However, the relative effect sizes of these two factors are still poorly investigated. We attempt to disentangle these effects on ground beetle communities of temperate broadleaved woodland fragments situated in one of the most urbanized regions in Belgium. Assemblages were sampled along transects that extended from 30 m outside to 100 m inside both small and large historic forest fragments. Although species assemblages within the forest were highly distinct compared to those sampled outside the forest, species turnover along these transects was less pronounced within forest fragments indicating only weak edge effects. The magnitude of edge effects did not differ significantly between large and small fragments. However, larger differences in species composition were observed with respect to fragment size, wherein highly specialized species persisted only in the largest fragment. In sum, increased local extinction processes in smaller fragments, which led to a strong reduction of specialized and wingless forest species, appeared to be the most important factor that drives changes in species composition in this historic and fragmented woodland complex.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Local extinction processes rather than edge effects affect ground beetle assemblages from fragmented and urbanized old beech forests.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications