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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 and landscape effects on ant functional and taxonomic compositions across green spaces of a tropical metropolis
Urbanization is one of the main processes driving environmental transformation, altering the structure and functioning of biological communities across multiple spatial scales. In this study, we evaluated the effects of local and landscape variables on the taxonomic and functional composition of ants in different types of urban green spaces in the city of Salvador, Brazil. A total of 62 sampling points were surveyed across forest fragments, squares, streets medians, and vacant lots, using specific methods for both ground-dwelling and arboreal strata. We recorded 93 ant species distributed among 20 functional groups. Our results indicated that, at the local scale, leaf litter depth was the primary explanatory factor for both taxonomic and functional richness, as well as for functional composition. At the landscape scale, human population density and vegetation cover surrounding the sampling points influenced the distribution of species and functional groups, revealing contrasting patterns between specialist and generalist species. While arboreal, hypogeic, and fungivorous ants were more dependent on structurally complex and conserved habitats, epigeic, omnivorous, and some predatory species were favored in more simplified and heterogeneous environments. These findings highlight that biodiversity conservation in urban areas depends on integrated strategies across multiple scales, encompassing management practices that ensure local structural complexity alongside planning that promotes habitat heterogeneity at the landscape level. Overall, the study demonstrates that the arrangement and quality of urban green spaces play a central role in maintaining both taxonomic and functional diversity of ant communities in tropical cities.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
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
Article Reference Local factors drive the richness, biomass and composition of benthic invertebrate communities in Neotropical reservoirs
Dams affect aquatic biota in running water by altering the environmental dynamics. One of the communities affected are benthic invertebrates, that perform important functions such as nutrient cycling and energy transfer in reservoirs. We investigated the influence of the following factors: spatial, abiotic variables, reservoir characteristics and land use on the richness, biomass and composition of benthic invertebrates in 29 reservoirs in southern Brazil. Sediment samples and abiotic variables were collected in the littoral and profundal zones of reservoirs during the dry (July) and rainy (November) seasons in 2001. We used principal coordinates of neighbour matrices to obtain the spatial factors. We analysed the unique and overall effects of the four factors. We found that the factors analysed significantly influenced the composition and biomass of the invertebrates (22%). The percentage of variation explained by the unique effects of the different factors showed similar values, but the spatial factors showed the highest value (4%). This indicates that closer reservoirs have higher similarities in terms of composition and biomass of benthic invertebrates. On the other hand, the abiotic variables had the highest explained value when evaluating the overall effects (10%). Therefore, for invertebrate richness, only the reservoir characteristics were significant for the overall and unique effects (49%). More specifically, we observed lower taxon richness in older reservoirs, probably because the age of such artificial aquatic ecosystems influences other variables, which structure the benthic communities. In conclusion, the structure of benthic invertebrate communities in reservoirs of southern Brazil are mainly driven by spatial and reservoir characteristics.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Local perceptions on the state of the pelagic fisheries and fisheries management in Uvira, Lake Tanganyika, DR Congo
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Location of the Rhine plume front by airborne remote sensing
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Locked in the icehouse: Evolution of an endemic Epimeria (Amphipoda, Crustacea) species flock on the Antarctic shelf
The Antarctic shelf’s marine biodiversity has been greatly influenced by the climatic and glacial history of the region. Extreme temperature changes led to the extinction of some lineages, while others adapted and flourished. The amphipod genus Epimeria is an example of the latter, being particularly diverse in the Antarctic region. By reconstructing a time-calibrated phylogeny based on mitochondrial (COI) and nuclear (28S and H3) markers and including Epimeria species from all oceans, this study provides a temporal and geographical framework for the evolution of Antarctic Epimeria. The monophyly of this genus is not supported by Bayesian Inference, as Antarctic and non-Antarctic Epimeria form two distinct wellsupported clades, with Antarctic Epimeria being a sister clade to two stilipedid species. The monophyly of Antarctic Epimeria suggests that this clade evolved in isolation since its origin. While the precise timing of this origin remains unclear, it is inferred that the Antarctic lineage arose from a late Gondwanan ancestor and hence did not colonize the Antarctic region after the continent broke apart from the other fragments of Gondwanaland. The initial diversification of the clade occurred 38.04 Ma (95% HPD [48.46 Ma; 28.36 Ma]) in a cooling environment. Adaptation to cold waters, along with the extinction of cold-intolerant taxa and resulting ecological opportunities, likely led to the successful diversification of Epimeria on the Antarctic shelf. However, there was neither evidence of a rapid lineage diversification early in the clade’s history, nor of any shifts in diversification rates induced by glacial cycles. This suggests that a high turnover rate on the repeatedly scoured Antarctic shelf could have masked potential signals of diversification bursts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Long bone variability in true seals (Mammalia, Phocidae), with implications for understanding their fossil record
Historically, humeri and femora have been treated as diagnostic elements for fossil phocid (Carnivora, Pinnipedia, Phocidae) identification. This resulted in the naming of a plethora of extinct phocid taxa with isolated humeri and femora as type specimens. However, the documented evidence of sexual dimorphism in pinnipeds, including qualitative and preliminary quantitative studies of long bone shapes, indicates the existence of both intra- and interspecific variation; their respective strengths will help determine whether long bones should or should not be used for taxonomy. The present study quantitatively assesses the morphological variability of phocid long bones, using 3D geometric morphometrics on a large sample (n = 145) covering 16 extant taxa. Morphospaces resulting from principal component analyses sort both extant phocid subfamilies (Phocinae and Monachinae) well, for both humeri and femora. Thus, this study suggests that humeri and femora might be diagnostic enough only to differentiate between subfamilies and maybe some genera, but usually lack clear genus- or species-specific shapes when variability is considered. As such, isolated long bones are preferably not to be used as type specimens. A taxonomic reassessment of holotypes of fossil species based on isolated long bones on a taxon-by-taxon basis is therefore warranted.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026
Article Reference Long legs and small joints: The locomotor capabilities of Homo naledi
Abstract The lower limb of Homo naledi presents a suite of primitive, derived and unique morphological features that pose interesting questions about the nature of bipedal movement in this species. The exceptional representation of all skeletal elements in H. naledi makes it an excellent candidate for biomechanical analysis of gait dynamics using modern kinematic software. However, virtual gait analysis software requires 3D models of the entire lower limb kinematic chain. No single H. naledi individual preserves all lower limb elements, and what material is preserved is fragmentary. As an antecedent to future kinematic analysis, a 3D lower limb skeleton was reconstructed from the most complete fossil bones of different H. naledi individuals. As both juvenile and adult H. naledi were used, we tested if the knee joint remained congruent throughout ontogeny in a sample of great apes (N?=?143) and modern humans (N?=?70). The reconstruction and subsequent comparative analysis reveal that H. naledi had remarkably small joint sizes for their body size, a hyper-elongated tibia, and a high crural index (90.2). We consider that the lower limb morphology of H. naledi could have improved locomotor economy, but the exceptionally small joints cast doubt on its capabilities for long distance travel, including endurance running. The unusual mixture of primitive and derived traits in H. naledi remains intriguing and might indicate that this hominin engaged both in bipedal walking and climbing, demonstrating that kinematic diversity in hominins persisted well into the Middle Pleistocene.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022