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The Ecology and Feeding Habits of the Arboreal Trap-Jawed Ant Daceton armigerum
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RBINS Staff Publications
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The ecology of benthopelagic fishes at offshore wind farms: a synthesis of 4 years of research.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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The ecology of infrastructure decommissioning in the North Sea: what we need to know and how to achieve it
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RBINS Staff Publications 2019
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The ecology of modern and fossil vertebrates revisited by lithium isotopes
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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The ecology of ostracodes (Ostracoda; Crustacea) in Western Mongolia
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RBINS Staff Publications
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The effect of bio-irrigation by the polychaete Lanice conchilega on active denitrifiers: Distribution, diversity and composition of nosZ gene
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RBINS Staff Publications 2018
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The Elusive Archaeology of Kongo Urbanism: the Case of Kindoki, Mbanza Nsundi (Lower Congo, DRC).
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We present results, analyses, and an in-depth historical contextualization of the fieldwork undertaken in 2012 and 2013 at the Kindoki site in the Lower Congo (DRC). This site is linked to Mbanza Nsundi, one of the Kongo Kingdom’s provincial capitals, which turns out to be archaeologically ‘elusive’. Pinpointing its location proved to be particularly challenging. To this end, a historically informed survey methodology was applied that has rarely been implemented on such a scale in Central Africa before. We combined a strategy of systematic test pits with a large-scale 50-m grid approach. A cemetery was identified on Kindoki Hill with distinct but probably contemporaneous quarters of a sixteenth– seventeenth-century settlement on both sides. The cemetery itself contains mainly eighteenth-century burials, in all likelihood of successive high-ranking Nsundi nobles, perhaps even of Nsundi rulers. The foreign, especially Portuguese, ceramics excavated on the hilltop and the hundreds of Venetian and likely Bavarian beads found in the graves are indicative ofMbanza Nsundi’s connection to trade routes linking the Atlantic coast with the Pool region. The most striking discovery is that of a previously unknown type of comb-impressed pottery, from a pit with a calibrated radiocarbon date of AD 1294–1393 (at 2 sigma). This suggests that a settlement had been developing at Kindoki since at least the fourteenth century, which allows us, for the first time, to spatially bridge Kongo history and “prehistory.” For the entire Lower Congo region, only three 14Cdates posterior to AD 1000 were available before the start of our project; 12 have been added for just Kindoki. Nous présentons les résultats, les analyses et la contextualisation historique détaillée du travail de terrain entrepris en 2012 et 2013 sur le site de Kindoki situé au Bas-Congo (RDC). Ce site est associé à Mbanza Nsundi, l’une des capitales provinciales du royaume Kongo, qui s’est révélée ‘élusive’, c-à-d difficile à saisir archéologiquement. Localiser son emplacement s’est avéré être un vrai défi. Pour ce faire, nous avons développé une méthodologie de fouilles, basée sur des données historiques, qui n’avait pas encore vraiment été testée à cette échelle en Afrique Centrale. Nous avons appliqué une stratégie de terrain combinant des tranchées tests systématiques avec des carroyages à grande échelle de 50 m. Sur la colline de Kindoki, un cimetière a été identifié avec de part et d’autre des quartiers distincts, probablement contemporains, témoignant d’une occupation aux 16ème-17ème siècles. Le cimetière luimême contient principalement des inhumations successives datées du 18ème siècle, très probablement celles de nobles Nsundi de haut rang, peut-être même des dirigeants Nsundi. Les céramiques étrangères, principalement portugaises, découvertes au sommet de la colline et les centaines de perles originaires de Venise et probablement de la Bavière trouvées dans les tombes révèlent la connexion entre Mbanza Nsundi et les voies commerciales reliant la côte Atlantique avec la région du Pool. Une découverte très intéressante concerne un type de poterie décorée au peigne imprimé qui était inconnu à ce jour et provient d’une fosse dont la date radiocarbone calibrée est de 1294–1393 AD (à 2 sigma). Ceci suggère qu’une implantation s’est développée à Kindoki depuis au moins le 14ème siècle et nous permet, pour la première fois, de rapprocher spatialement l’histoire et ‘la préhistoire’ kongo. Pour la région du Bas- Congo toute entière, seules trois dates 14C postérieures à 1000 AD étaient disponibles avant que ne débute notre projet. Nous disposon
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The endocranial cast of Khirtharia (Artiodactyla, Raoellidae) provides new insights into the earliest evolution of the cetacean brain
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Introduction Raoellidae are small artiodactyls retrieved from the middle Eocene of Asia (ca - 47 Ma) and closely related to stem Cetacea. Morphological observations of their endocranial structures allow for outlining some of the early steps of the evolutionary history of the cetacean brain. The external features of the brain and associated sinuses of Raoellidae are so far only documented by the virtual reconstruction of the endocast based on specimens of the species Indohyus indirae. These specimens are however too deformed to fully access the external morphology, surface area, and volume measurements of the brain. Methods We bring here new elements to the picture of the raoellid brain by an investigation of the internal structures of an exceptionally well-preserved cranium collected from the Kalakot area (Jammu and Kashmir, India) referred to the species Khirtharia inflata. Micro-CT scan investigation and virtual reconstruction of the endocast and associated sinuses of this specimen provide crucial additional data about the morphological diversity within Raoellidae as well as reliable linear, surfaces, and volumes measurements, allowing for quantitative studies. Results We show that, like I. indirae, the brain of K. inflata exhibits a mosaic of features observed in earliest artiodactyls: a small neocortex with simple folding pattern, widely exposed midbrain, and relatively long cerebellum. But, like Indohyus, the brain of Khirtharia shows unique derived characters also observed in stem cetaceans: narrow elongated olfactory bulbs and peduncles, posterior location of the braincase in the cranium, and complex network of blood vessels around the cerebellum. The volume of the brain relative to body mass of Khirtharia inflata is markedly small when compared to other early artiodactyls. Conclusion We show here that, cetaceans that nowadays have the second biggest brain after humans, derive from a group of animals that had a lower-than-average expected brain size. This is probably a side effect of the adaptation to aquatic life. Conversely, this very small brain size relative to body mass might be another line of evidence supporting the aquatic habits in raoellids.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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The Environment and its Exploitation Along the Lower Scheldt River During the Roman Period (Wichelen, Belgium – Late 1st to 3rd Centuries AD)
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The large number of rural Roman settlements known from the Low Countries is generally characterised by a poor preservation of ecological proxies due to the absence of waterlogged contexts. The riverside site of Wijmeers (Wichelen, Belgium), a small rural settlement located in the Lower Scheldt basin, represents a rare exception to this pattern. Due to the presence of a waterlogged sequence with Roman (late 1st–3rd centuries AD) waste layers, located only a few metres from a main building structure, and the covering of the site with alluvial sediments shortly after its abandonment, the preservation condition of charred and uncharred organic materials was exceptional. The combined study of these proxies (pollen, seeds, charcoal, mollusc shells and animal bones) presents unique insights into the subsistence economy of a Roman rural household in the Lower Scheldt valley in general, and especially its exploitation of the valley and river environments. Besides this cultural–economical perspective, the site provides key information for understanding the chronology of fluvial and alluvial processes in the Lower Scheldt Basin for a large part of the Subatlantic period (Iron Age to Early Middle Ages, ca 800 BC–900 AD).
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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The environmental impacts of the lignin-first biorefineries: A consequential life cycle assessment approach
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The emerging reductive catalytic fractionation biorefinery which is currently under development aims to convert woody biomass efficiently into high-value products. Despite its potential, the environmental consequences of its implementation are not well known. Therefore, a forward-looking consequential life cycle assessment examines greenhouse gas emissions associated with its products (pulp, phenolic monomers, and oligomers) compared to alternative market options. Findings indicate that current greenhouse gas emissions exceed those of the existing alternatives, with by-products and the gaseous waste stream as major contributors. Process adaption to (i) produce higher-valued products (bleached pulps, phenols, and propylene) and (ii) incinerate gaseous waste stream for energy are proposed, potentially reducing emissions by up to 50 %, outperforming alternative options. Compared to land-based transportation, waterways can increase feedstock availability by up to 1000 km without an increase in emissions. In conclusion, the consequential approach provides valuable insights for enhancing and optimizing the environmental performance of the process.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
