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Article Reference Responses of summer phytoplankton biomass to changes in top-down forcing: Insights from comparative modelling
Abstract The present study describes the responses of summer phytoplankton biomass to changes in top-down forcing (expressed as zooplankton mortality) in three ecosystems (the North Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Nordic Seas) across different 3D ecosystem models. In each of the model set-ups, we applied the same changes in the magnitude of mortality (±20%) of the highest trophic zooplankton level (Z1). Model results showed overall dampened responses of phytoplankton relative to \Z1\ biomass. Phytoplankton responses varied depending on the food web structure and trophic coupling represented in the models. Hence, a priori model assumptions were found to influence cascades and pathways in model estimates and, thus, become highly relevant when examining ecosystem pressures such as fishing and climate change. Especially, the different roles and parameterizations of additional zooplankton groups grazed by Z1, and their importance for the outcome, emphasized the need for better calibration data. Spatial variability was high within each model indicating that physics (hydrodynamics and temperature) and nutrient dynamics also play vital roles for ecosystem responses to top-down effects. In conclusion, the model comparison indicated that changes in top-down forcing in combination with the modelled food-web structure affect summer phytoplankton biomass and, thereby, indirectly influence water quality of the systems.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Restoration of tropical peat swamp rotifer communities after perturbation: An experimental study of recovery of rotifers from the resting egg bank
In order to assess the recovery potential of tropical freshwater communities after disturbance, we performed an experimental study on the effects of exposure conditions and durations of storage on hatching of rotifer resting eggs in sediment. Well-mixed surface sediment samples from Mai Khao peat swamp on Phuket Island, Thailand, were stored under three conditions (cold -4°C & dark: CD; ambient -32-42°C & dark: AD; and ambient & daylight conditions: AL), for different periods of time (1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months). The number of species hatching from the sediment was significantly affected by treatment for both short- (1-6 months) and long-term (6-20 months) exposure. Significant effects of short- and long-term exposure within treatments were also present. Both factors interacted significantly. Regarding numbers of specimens hatching, no short-term effects of differences in treatment condition were found, but increasing the duration did have an effect. Significant effects of treatment occurred after 6 months, in addition to prolonged effects of duration. Again, both factors interacted significantly. These experiments indicate that exposure time has a strong impact on the viability of resting eggs, whereas, an effect of exposure condition appears only after 6 months. So, recovery of rotifer communities from resident sediment egg banks in disturbed peat swamps can only be effectively attained when restoration occurs within a relatively short period after perturbation. © Springer 2005.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Restoration of tropical peat swamp rotifer communities after perturbation: An experimental study of recovery of rotifers from the resting egg bank
In order to assess the recovery potential of tropical freshwater communities after disturbance, we performed an experimental study on the effects of exposure conditions and durations of storage on hatching of rotifer resting eggs in sediment. Well-mixed surface sediment samples from Mai Khao peat swamp on Phuket Island, Thailand, were stored under three conditions (cold -4°C & dark: CD; ambient -32-42°C & dark: AD; and ambient & daylight conditions: AL), for different periods of time (1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months). The number of species hatching from the sediment was significantly affected by treatment for both short- (1-6 months) and long-term (6-20 months) exposure. Significant effects of short- and long-term exposure within treatments were also present. Both factors interacted significantly. Regarding numbers of specimens hatching, no short-term effects of differences in treatment condition were found, but increasing the duration did have an effect. Significant effects of treatment occurred after 6 months, in addition to prolonged effects of duration. Again, both factors interacted significantly. These experiments indicate that exposure time has a strong impact on the viability of resting eggs, whereas, an effect of exposure condition appears only after 6 months. So, recovery of rotifer communities from resident sediment egg banks in disturbed peat swamps can only be effectively attained when restoration occurs within a relatively short period after perturbation. © Springer 2005.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications / Pending Duplicate Bibliography Entries
Article Reference Restudy of the Lower Carboniferous Scaphopoda described by de Koninck (1843, 1883)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Resurrection and neotype designation of Pilumnus spinulosus Kessler, 1861 (Crustacea: Decapoda)
ABSTRACT. The scientific name Pilumnus spinulosus Kessler, 1861 is resurrected for the representatives of the brachyuran genus Pilumnus Leach, 1816 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae), occurring along the northern coastal line of the Black Sea. This species has been mistakenly identified as P. hirtellus (Linnaeus, 1761) and recently, based on DNA data, referred to as P. aestuarii Nardo, 1869. Furthermore, a neotype of P. spinulosus Kessler, 1861 is designated as the original material is presently considered as lost. P. hirtellus ponticus Czerniavsky, 1868, P. aestuarii Nardo, 1869, P. hirtellus intermedia Czerniavsky, 1884 are considered as junior synonyms of P. spinulosus Kessler, 1861. РЕЗЮМЕ. Научное название Pilumnus spinulosus Kessler, 1861 восстановлено для представителей рода Pilumnus Leach, 1816 (Decapoda: Brachyura: Pilumnidae), встречающегося вдоль северной бере- говой линии Черного моря. Ранее этот вид был ошибочно идентифицирован как P. hirtellus (Linnaeus, 1761), а позднее, на основании данных ДНК, отнесён к P. aestuarii Nardo, 1869. Видовые назва- ния P. hirtellus ponticus Czerniavsky, 1868, P. aestuarii Nardo, 1869, P. hirtellus intermedia Czerniavsky, 1884 рассматриваются как младшие синонимы P. spinulosus Kessler, 1861. How to cite this article: Marin I.N., d’Udekem d’Acoz C. 2019. Resurrection and neotype designation of Pilumnus spinulosus Kessler, 1861 (Crustacea: Decapoda) // Arthropoda Selecta. Vol.28. No.4. P.545– 548. doi: 10.15298/arthsel. 28.4.06
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference Return to sender: Hydrozoa collected by Emperor Hirohito of Japan in the 1930s and studied in Brussels
A small number of Hydrozoa specimens, collected by Emperor Hirohito of Japan in Sagami Bay in the 1930s, was re-discovered in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels. The history of the collection is described here; part of it has been returned to the Showa Memorial Institute in Japan., Een klein aantal Hydrozoa specimens ingezameld door de Japanse Keizer Hirohito in de Baai van Sagami in de jaren 1930 werd gevonden op de schappen van het Koninklijk Belgisch Instituut voor Natuurwetenschappen in Brussel. De geschiedenis van de collectie wordt hier beschreven; een deel ervan werd teruggestuurd naar het Showa Herdenkingsinstituut in Japan.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Revalidation of Enteromius alberti and presence of Enteromius cf. mimus (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) in the Lake Edward system, East Africa
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Revealing Invisible Beauty, Ultra Detailed: The Influence of Low Cost UV Exposure on Natural History Specimens in 2D+ Digitization
Digitization of the natural history specimens usually occurs by taking detailed pictures from different sides or producing 3D models. Additionally this is normally limited to imaging the specimen while exposed by light of the visual spectrum. However many specimens can see in or react to other spectra as well. Fluorescence is a well known reaction to the ultraviolet (UV) spectrum by animals, plants, minerals etc. but rarely taken into account while examining natural history specimens. Our tests show that museum specimens still fluoresce when exposed to UV light of 395 nm and 365 nm, even after many years of preservation. When the UV exposure is used in the digitization of specimens using our low cost focus stacking (2D+) setup, the resulting pictures reveal more detail than the conventional 2D+ images. Differences in fluorescence using 395 nm or 365 nm UV lights were noticed, however there isn’t a preferred wavelength as some specimens react more to the first, while others have better results with the latter exposure. Given the increased detail and the low cost of the system, UV exposure should be considered while digitizing natural history museum collections.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Article Reference C source code Revealing patterns of nocturnal migration using the European weather radar network
Nocturnal avian migration flyways remain an elusive concept, as we have largely lacked methods to map their full extent. We used the network of European weather radars to investigate nocturnal bird movements at the scale of the European flyway. We mapped the main migration directions and showed the intensity of movement across part of Europe by extracting biological information from 70 weather radar stations from northern Scandinavia to Portugal, during the autumn migration season of 2016. On average, over the 20 nights and all sites, 389 birds passed per 1 km transect per hour. The night with highest migration intensity showed an average of 1621 birds km–1 h–1 passing the radar stations, but there was considerable geographical and temporal variation in migration intensity. The highest intensity of migration was seen in central France. The overall migration directions showed strong southwest components. Migration dynamics were strongly related to synoptic wind conditions. A wind‐related mass migration event occurred immediately after a change in wind conditions, but quickly diminished even when supporting winds continued to prevail. This first continental‐scale study using the European network of weather radars demonstrates the wealth of information available and its potential for investigating large‐scale bird movements, with consequences for ecosystem function, nutrient transfer, human and livestock health, and civil and military aviation.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Review of the effusus group of the Lanternfly genus Pyrops Spinola, 1839, with one new species and notes on trophobiosis (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications