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Article Reference Population genetic structure of the tree-hole tick Ixodes arboricola (Acari: Ixodidae) at different spatial scales
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Population genetic structure in Sabatieria (Nematoda) reveals intermediary gene flow and admixture between distant cold seeps from the Mediterranean Sea
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Population genetic structure of the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus (Diptera, Culicidae), in Belgium suggests multiple introductions
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Population genomics of introduced Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Repeated introductions since colonial times with multiple sources.
During colonial times, Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) was introduced into non-native parts of the Congo Basin (Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC) for the first time. Currently, it is the most farmed cichlid in the DRC, and is present throughout the Congo Basin. Although Nile tilapia has been reported as an invasive species, documentation of historical introductions into this basin and its consequences are scant. Here, we study the genetic consequences of these introductions by genotyping 213 Nile tilapia from native and introduced regions, focusing on the Congo Basin. Additionally, 48 specimensfrom 16 other tilapia species were included to test for hybridization. Using RAD sequencing (27,611 single nucleotide polymorphisms), we discovered genetic admixture with other tilapia species in several morphologically identified Nile tilapia from the Congo Basin, reflecting their ability to interbreed and the potential threat they pose to the genetic integrity of native tilapias. Nile tilapia populations from the Upper Congo and those from the Middle-Lower Congo are strongly differentiated. The former show genetic similarity to Nile tilapia from the White Nile, while specimens from the Benue Basin and Lake Kariba are similar to Nile tilapia from the Middle-Lower Congo, suggesting independent introductions using different sources. We conclude that the presence of Nile tilapia in the Congo Basin results from independent introductions, reflecting the dynamic aquaculture history, and that their introduction probably leads to genetic interactions with native tilapias, which could lower their fitness. We therefore urge avoiding further introductions of Nile tilapia in non-native regions and to use native tilapias in future aquaculture efforts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Porongodendron minitensis gen. nov. sp. nov. a new lycopsid from the Mississippian of Argentina with adaptations to tundra-like conditions
The Mississippian is characterized worldwide by a general cooling of the environment and a climatic stratification of Earth. Argentina at that time was part of the megacontinent Gondwana. It occupied a position close to the South Pole around 60°S. Whereas paleoequatorial and paleotropical floras are relatively well known, higher latitude environments are still poorly understood. In this framework, a revision of Mississippian deposits is ongoing in Argentina. An extensive and detailed survey of the Sierra de las Minitas (La Rioja Province, western Argentina) involved drawing detailed sections and the systematic verification of all rock layers. Fossils were sampled and studied in the laboratory. We describe a new isoetalean lycopsid with a rare combination of characters. This plant presents an estimated low stature (approximately 30 cm), a branched rhizomorph, an inflated intermediary zone, a monocaulous growth form and evidence for cyclic fertility. These features are interpreted as representing specific adaptations to the harsher tundra conditions prevailing in the Lower Carboniferous Southern Polar environments.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Possible effects of global environmental changes on Antarctic benthos : a synthesis across five major taxa
Because of the unique conditions that exist around the Antarctic continent, Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems are very susceptible to the growing impact of global climate change and other anthropogenic influences. Consequently, there is an urgent need to understand how SO marine life will cope with expected future changes in the environment. Studies of Antarctic organisms have shown that individual species and higher taxa display different degrees of sensitivity to environmental shifts, making it difficult to predict overall community or ecosystem responses. This emphasizes the need for an improved understanding of the Antarctic benthic ecosystem response to global climate change using a multitaxon approach with consideration of different levels of biological organization. Here, we provide a synthesis of the ability of five important Antarctic benthic taxa (Foraminifera, Nematoda, Amphipoda, Isopoda, and Echinoidea) to cope with changes in the environment (temperature, pH, ice cover, ice scouring, food quantity, and quality) that are linked to climatic changes. Responses from individual to the taxon-specific community level to these drivers will vary with taxon but will include local species extinctions, invasions of warmer-water species, shifts in diversity, dominance, and trophic group composition, all with likely consequences for ecosystem functioning. Limitations in our current knowledge and understanding of climate change effects on the different levels are discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Possible evidence of mammoth hunting at the Neanderthal site of Spy (Belgium)
Spy, a Belgian cave site famous for its Neanderthal remains, contains a wide spectrum of Pleistocene species. Horse, cave hyena, woolly mammoth, woolly rhinoceros and reindeer are the primary taxa. The Spy cave was used alternately by prehistoric humans and Pleistocene carnivores. This study considers whether prehistoric humans or carnivores are responsible for the large number of mammoth remains at the site. It is argued, on the basis of the frequency distribution of the skeletal elements of the mammoth, the age distribution of the mammoth molars, and the diet of the large carnivores and of the prehistoric humans, that the mammoth assemblage of Spy accumulated at the site through the activities of prehistoric humans. On the basis of AMS dates, the stratigraphic position of a number of mammoth molars and the absence of red ochre on the mammoth molars, it was concluded that these prehistoric humans were Neanderthals rather than Anatomically Modern Humans.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Post Mining Ground Deformations Transition Related to Coal Mines Closure in the Campine Coal Basin, Belgium, Evidenced by Three Decades of MT-InSAR Data
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Post-fragmentation population structure in a cooperative breeding Afrotropical cloud forest bird: emergence of a source-sink population network
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Post-mortem findings and causes of death of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) stranded from 1990 to 2000 along the coastlines of Belgium and Northern France
Between the years 1990 and 2000, an attempt was made to determine the causes of death of 55 harbour porpoises stranded along the Belgian and northern French coasts. From 1990 to 1996, only five carcasses were collected as against seven in 1997, eight in 1998, 27 in 1999 and eight in 2000. The sex ratio was normal and most of the animals were juvenile. The most common findings were emaciation, severe parasitosis and pneumonia. A few cases of fishing net entanglement were observed. The main microscopical lesions were acute pneumonia, massive lung oedema, enteritis, hepatitis and gastritis. Encephalitis was observed in six cases. No evidence of morbillivirus infection was detected. Pneumonia was associated with bacteria or parasites, or both. The causes of death and the lesions were similar to those previously reported in other countries bordering the North Sea. The cause of the increased numbers of carcasses in 1999 was unclear but did not include viral epizootics or net entanglement. A temporary increase in the porpoise population in the southern North Sea may have been responsible. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications