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Article Reference The fossil bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni: a potential seasonally resolved stable isotope-based climate archive to investigate Pliocene temperatures in the southern North Sea basin
Bivalves record seasonal environmental changes in their shells, making them excellent climate archives. However, not every bivalve can be used for this end. The shells have to grow fast enough so that micrometre- to millimetre-sampling can resolve sub-annual changes. Here, we investigate whether the bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni is suitable as a climate archive. For this, we use ca. 3-million-year-old specimens from the Piacenzian collected from a temporary outcrop in the Port of Antwerp area (Belgium). The subspecies is common in Pliocene North Sea basin deposits, but its lineage dates back to the late Oligocene and has therefore great potential as a high-resolution archive. A detailed assessment of the preservation of the shell material by micro-X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, and electron backscatter diffraction reveals that it is pristine and not affected by diagenetic processes. Oxygen isotope analysis and microscopy indicate that the species had a longevity of up to a decade or more and, importantly, that it grew fast and large enough so that seasonally resolved records across multiple years were obtainable from it. Clumped isotope analysis revealed a mean annual temperature of 13.5 ± 3.8 ∘C. The subspecies likely experienced slower growth during winter and thus may not have recorded temperatures year-round. This reconstructed mean annual temperature is 3.5 ∘C warmer than the pre-industrial North Sea and in line with proxy and modelling data for this stratigraphic interval, further solidifying A. benedeni benedeni's use as a climate recorder. Our exploratory study thus reveals that Angulus benedeni benedeni fossils are indeed excellent climate archives, holding the potential to provide insight into the seasonality of several major climate events of the past ∼ 25 million years in northwestern Europe.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference New data on the Devonian and Carboniferous Graptolithina (Dendroidea) from Belgium with notes on possible occurrences of Rhabdopleuridae in the Belgian Carboniferous
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Organic Matter Composition of Biomineral flocs and Its Influence on Suspended Particulate Matter Dynamics Along a Nearshore to Offshore Transect
The seasonal variation in concentration of transparent exopolymer particles (TEPs), particulate organic carbon (POC) and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) were investigated together with floc size and the concentration of suspended particulate matter (SPM) along the cross-shore gradient, from the high turbid nearshore toward the low-turbid offshore waters in the Southern Bight of the North Sea. Our data demonstrate that biophysical flocculation cannot be explained by these heterogeneous parameters, but requires a distinction between a more reactive labile (“fresh”) and a less reactive refractory (“mineral-associated”) fraction. Based on all data, we separated the labile and mineral-associated POC, PON, and TEP using a semi-empirical model approach. The model's estimates of fresh and mineral-associated organic matter (OM) show that great parts of the POC, PON, and TEP are associated with suspended minerals, which are present in the water column throughout the year, whereas the occurrence of fresh TEP, POC, and PON is restricted to spring and summer months. In spite of a constantly high abundance of total TEP throughout the entire year, it is its fresh fraction that promotes the formation of larger and faster sinking biomineral flocs, thereby contributing to reducing the SPM concentration in the water column over spring and summer. Our results show that the different components of the SPM, such as minerals, extracellular OM and living organisms, form an integrated dynamic system with direct interactions and feedback controls.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Flocculation with heterogeneous composition in water environments: A review
Flocculation is a key process for controlling the fate and transport of suspended particulate matter (SPM) in water environments and has received considerable attention in the field of water science (e.g., oceanography, limnology, and hydrology), remaining an active area of research. The research on flocculation has been con­ducted to elucidate the SPM dynamics and to diagnose various environmental issues. The flocculation, sedi­mentation, and transportation of SPM are closely linked to the compositional and structural properties of flocs. In fact, flocs are highly heterogeneous in terms of composition. However, the lack of comprehensive research on floc composition and structure has led to misconceptions regarding the temporal and spatial dynamics of SPM. This review summarizes the current understanding of the heterogeneous composition of flocs (e.g., minerals, organic matter, metals, microplastic, engineered nanoparticles) and its effect on their structure and on their fate and transport within aquatic environments. Furthermore, the effects of human activities (e.g., pollutant discharge, construction) on floc composition are discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Tracking the source of lead of medieval glazed pottery of the Meuse valley (Belgium) through lead isotope analyses.
Abstract Lead isotope analyses (by MC-ICP-MS) have been performed on lead-glazed pottery artefacts from several production and consumption sites in the Meuse basin (Belgium) spanning a long-time period from the 9th to the 16th century AD. Comparison of the lead isotope data of the glazes from three mosan workshops with those of galenas from Palaeozoic (Variscan) Pb-Zn deposits from both Belgium and Western Germany points to a common Pb source that we identify as the regional Pb deposits hosted in Dinantian limestones of the Ardenno-Rhenish Massif, more specifically in the Namur and Verviers synclines in Belgium and in the Aachen-Stolberg mining district in Germany. The overall similarity of isotopic compositions between the medieval artefacts and the Variscan galenas implies that the mosan medieval potters used accessible local Pb-Zn ores mined between Namur and Huy. On the consumption sites of Dinant, the slightly different isotopic compositions of some potteries suggest that other regional Pb sources were used to produce the glazes. A comparison with Roman lead objects discovered in north-western Europe (Northern Gaul) shows the very good correspondence of the Pb isotopic compositions with those of the Medieval artefacts which indicates a very long continuity of regional lead supply and consequently of lead ore mining. Keywords: Lead-glazed pottery; Middle Age; Lead isotope analysis; Lead ores; Sourcing; Mosan valley; Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Complementarity of LA-ICP-MS and petrography in the analysis of Neolithic pottery from the Scheldt River valley, Belgium.
Abstract This paper presents the results of laser ablation – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) analysis of the clay fraction in 70 Late Mesolithic and Early/Middle Neolithic pottery sherds from the Scheldt basin and 10 sampled sediments. The elemental concentration results were visualized using multivariate chemometric techniques and compared to the results of petrographic analysis of the same ceramics in order to investigate the complementarity of both approaches. In addition, the results for the pottery and sediments were compared for clay sourcing purposes. Overall, the elemental analysis was able to confirm part of the observations from the petrographic analysis. However, a large part of the ceramics clustering was driven by heterogeneity in the elemental composition that does not stem from differences in the clay source used. Furthermore, no conclusions could be drawn on the use of the sampled sediments for pottery production. Therefore, it is concluded that LA-ICP-MS analysis of the clay fraction in pottery can complement petrography, but petrographic analysis remains indispensable for clay sourcing of pottery from northern Belgium. Keywords: ceramic petrography, LA-ICP-MS, t-SNE, elemental analysis, Neolithic pottery, Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Neurogenomic Profiling Reveals Distinct Gene Expression Profiles between Brain Parts that are Consistent in Ophthalmotilapia Cichlids
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Craniodental ecomorphology of the large Jurassic ichthyosaurian Temnodontosaurus
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference A masculinizing supergene underlies an exaggerated male reproductive morph in a spider
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Revision of the morphology, phylogenetic relationships, behaviour and diversity of the Iberian and Italian ant-like Tachydromia Meigen, 1803 (Diptera: Hybotidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021