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Nestedness in sessile and periphytic rotifer communities: A meta-analysis.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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Net ecosystem production and carbon dioxide fluxes in the Scheldt estuarine plume
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RBINS Staff Publications
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Neurogenomic Profiling Reveals Distinct Gene Expression Profiles between Brain Parts that are Consistent in Ophthalmotilapia Cichlids
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RBINS Staff Publications 2018
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New amphisbaenian lizards from the Early Paleogene of Europe and their implications for the early evolution of modern amphisbaenians
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Three new amphisbaenian lizard taxa are described from the Early Paleogene of Western Europe. Two new basal forms, Polyodontobaena belgica gen. et sp. nov. from the Early Paleocene of Hainin (Belgium) and Camptognathosaurus parisiensis gen. et sp. nov. from the Late Paleocene of Rivecourt-Patit Pâtis and Cernay-lès-Reims (France), are characterised by a dentary lacking a strong angle at the symphysis and bearing 10 to 12 massively built and conical teeth. These two taxa form the new family Polyodontobaenidae. A third new amphisbaenian, Blanosaurus primeocaenus gen. et sp. nov., is also described from the Early Eocene of Dormaal (Belgium), Condé-en-Brie and Prémontré (France) and represents the oldest modern amphisbaenian lizard of Europe, tentatively assigned to Blanidae. It is characterised by a reduction of tooth number and by the presence of a strong angle at the symphysis. Palaeobiogeographic considerations suggest a first hypothesis that the Eocene forms would have evolved from the Paleocene species.The second hypothesis would be that as for the lizard Scincoideus haininensis, primitive amphisbaenians were present in Europe from the Paleocene,whereasbeginning in the Early Eocene only modern forms with typical reduced dentition (fewer than 10 teeth) are present. The origin of these modern forms is very likely related with the dispersal of the first modern mammals.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New and revised cyrtospiriferid (Spiriferida) brachiopods from the lower Famennian (Upper Devonian) of Armenia
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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New Archaeozoological Data from the Fayum ‘‘Neolithic’’ with a Critical Assessment of the Evidence for Early Stock Keeping in Egypt
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Faunal evidence from the Fayum Neolithic is often cited in the framework of early stock keeping in Egypt. However, the data suffer from a number of problems. In the present paper, large faunal datasets from new excavations at Kom K and Kom W (4850–4250 BC) are presented. They clearly show that, despite the presence of domesticates, fish predominate in the animal bone assemblages. In this sense, there is continuity with the earlier Holocene occupation from the Fayum, starting ca. 7350 BC. Domesticated plants and animals appear first from approximately 5400 BC. The earliest possible evidence for domesticates in Egypt are the very controversial domesticated cattle from the 9th/8th millennium BC in the Nabta Playa-Bir Kiseiba area. The earliest domesticates found elsewhere in Egypt date to the 6th millennium BC. The numbers of bones are generally extremely low at this point in time and only caprines are present. From the 5th millennium BC, the numbers of sites with domesticates dramatically increase, more species are also involved and they are usually represented by significant quantities of bones. The data from the Fayum reflect this two phase development, with very limited evidence for domesticates in the 6th millennium BC and more abundant and clearer indications in the 5th millennium BC. Any modelling of early food production in Egypt suffers from poor amounts of data, bias due to differential preservation and visibility of sites and archaeological remains, and a lack of direct dates for domesticates. In general, however, the evidence for early stock keeping and accompanying archaeological features shows large regional variation and seems to be mainly dependent on local environmental conditions. The large numbers of fish at Kom K and Kom W reflect the proximity of Lake Qarun.
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New archaeozoological evidence for the introduction of the guinea pig to Europe
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The remains are described of a guinea pig dated to the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th c. AD. The animal was discovered at a site in Mons, Belgium, and is the first European archaeozoological find dated with certainty on the basis of both the archaeological context and a radiocarbon dating of its bone. This find confirms that the guinea pig was introduced to Europe soon after the conquest of South America. The morphological and metrical analyses performed on the skeletal remains are in agreement with the iconographic and literary sources indicating the domestic status of the animals imported to Europe. While a previous discovery in England suggested that the guinea pig was a prestigious animal, the present study argues that it was accessible to several classes of the population which may be related to the rapid spread of this prolific animal after its introduction in Europe.
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New bats (Chiroptera) from the Earliest Oligocene Boutersem-TGV locality in Belgium document the earliest occurence of Myotis
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Early Oligocene mammals from Europe are not well known. In Belgium this interval (reference level MP 21) is represented by four coeval localities, Boutersem, Boutersem-TGV, Hoogbutsel and Hoeleden. Included in a vertebrate assemblage of 20+ mammalian genera, one bat, Quinetia misonnei, has been previously described from Hoogbutsel, based on four lower dentitions. Twenty new specimens of Quinetia were recently recovered from Boutersem-TGV including six upper molars, a humerus, and thirteen lower dentitions. These new specimens confirm that Quinetia is a plecotine vespertilionid and consequently represents the earliest known occurrence of this tribe. Additionally, twenty five other dental specimens document the presence of a larger vespertilionid from Boutersem-TGV. These specimens are assigned to Myotis based on the primitive 3.1.3.3 dental formula, the presence of a single-rooted p3, myotodont lower molars, a relatively high crowned lower canine with well-developed mesial and distolingual shelves, M1 and M2 lacking both paraconules and metalophs, protofossa of M1 and M2 open posteriorly, and M3 being relatively short. The Boutersem-TGV Myotis specimens represent the earliest known record of this extant genus. Only some isolated potential myotine teeth from Le Batut (MP 19) in France are older but these teeth differ from Myotis in having upper molars with a paraloph and a protofossa closed posteriorly, both features more typical of the enigmatic “Leuconoe”. Myotodont species, such as “L”. salodorensis from Oensingen (MP 25) in Switzerland and “L”. lavocati from Le Garouillas (MP 25-28) in France, both share features of upper teeth that distinguish them from Myotis. Younger still are three Myotis species from Herrlingen 8-9 (MP 29) in Germany. Compared to the Boutersem-TGV Myotis, M. minor is much smaller with a relatively smaller, shorter and more delicate p4, M. intermedius is somewhat smaller in molar dimensions but with a substantially smaller and shorter p4, while M. major has larger m1-2, similar sized m3, smaller p4, more robust M1 and a more constricted P4 lingual shelf. The origin of Myotis appears to be at least as old as the earliest Oligocene.
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New beaked whales from the late Miocene of Peru and evidence for convergent evolution in stem and crown Ziphiidae (Cetacea, Odontoceti)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
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New bio-chemostratigraphic dating of a unique early Eocene sequence from southern Europe results in precise mammalian biochronological tie-points
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European early Eocene (Ypresian) mammalian biochronology, covering a timespan of about 8 myr, includes three distinct MP (Mammal Paleogene) reference levels MP7, MP8+9 and MP10. These are represented in the unique succession of the Minervois (Southern France) by the localities of Fournes (close to MP7), Sainte-Eulalie (close to MP8+9) and Azillanet (close to MP10). Considering homogenous terrestrial organic matter contribution (type III) as suggested by palynofacies and Rock-Eval pyrolysis, we here demonstrate that the organic carbon isotope curve of the predominantly continental Ypresian of the Minervois closely matches the marine standard carbonate carbon isotope curve. The here studied mammalian faunas and their supposed corresponding MP levels can thus be accurately dated and correlated on a global scale. The endemic Fournes mammal fauna, located just above the Eocene Thermal Maximum 2 - ETM2, is assigned to mid-Biochron NP11 (Calcareous Nannoplankton Zone). Accordingly, the Fournes mammal site is about 2.5 myr younger than the MP7 reference level of Dormaal (Belgium, latest Biochron NP9), about 1 myr younger than the MP7 mammalian locality of Le Clot in the Corbières (Southern France, late Biochron NP10 or early Biochron NP11) and very close to the Wasatchian Wa-5 mammalian biozone of Wyoming. A mid-Biochron NP12 age is inferred for the endemic Sainte-Eulalie fauna because of its position at the very top of (or just above) the isotopically negative “ETM3 interval”, whereas the Azillanet fauna, recorded at the top of a δ13Corg positive trend above the “ETM3 interval”, ranges from late Biochron NP12 to early Biochron NP13. Our results indicate that the short-term hyperthermals ETM2 and ETM3 did not affect the endemic character of the mammalian faunas in Southern and Northern Europe during the MP7 to MP8+9 interval. The end of this mammalian endemism likely occurred during the early phases of the EECO (Early Eocene Climatic Optimum) in early late Biochron NP12.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
