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Article Reference Small suspension-feeding amphipods play a pivotal role in carbon dynamics around offshore man-made structures
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference Physiological response to seawater pH of the bivalve Abra alba, a benthic ecosystem engineer, is modulated by low pH
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference Climate change effects on the ecophysiology and ecological functioning of an offshore wind farm artificial hard substrate community
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference Estimates of life-history and growth parameters of exploited fish species in lakes Edward and George: Implications on exploitation status, population dynamics, management, and conservation of native species
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference A Scanning Electron Microscopy method to visualise the copulatory organ morphology of microturbellarian flatworms: Trigonostomum Schmidt, 1852 as a case study
Traditional methods for studying the morphology of microturbellarian flatworms rely on light microscopy, which often lacks the resolution necessary to capture fine structural details. Therefore, we present a protocol to improve the visualisation of structural morphological details in microturbellarians by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We demonstrate this method by imaging the sclerotised copulatory organs of three species of Trigonostomum (Rhabdocoela, Trigonostomidae): T. venenosum, T. setigerum, and T. penicillatum. Additionally, we successfully visualise the bursal appendage of T. penicillatum. SEM imaging offered new morphological insights for the genus, and corrected earlier interpretations made with light microscopy. The method requires precision and careful handling, especially during the isolation of the hard parts. However, it is cost-effective and straightforward to carry out in any standard laboratory setting. Hence, our SEM protocol complements traditional light microscopy and opens new avenues for taxonomical research in microturbellarian taxa with hard parts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Scanning Electron Microscopy Reveals New Ultrastructural Features in Metacercariae of Clinostomum cutaneum (Digenea: Clinostomidae) Infecting Oreochromis niloticus (Actinopterygii: Cichlidae) in Kenya
Clinostomum is a genus of parasitic trematodes found worldwide, infecting a wide range of hosts, including freshwater fishes, snails, birds and occasionally humans. In this study, clinostomid metacercariae were collected from Nile tilapia raised in fish farms in the Upper Tana River region, Kenya. The prevalence of infection was 17.2%, with metacercariae infecting the skin, gills and buccal cavity of the fish. Using light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and molecular methods targeting both nuclear ribosomal (ITS1, 5.8S, ITS2) and mitochondrial (COI) regions, the metacercariae were identified as C. cutaneum, C. phalacrocoracis, C. tilapiae and Euclinostomum heterostomum. The three species of Clinostomum have previously been reported to infect fish or piscivorous birds in Kenya, while this is the first report of E. heterostomum in this country. SEM analysis revealed new ultrastructural features of C. cutaneum, including an excretory pore surrounded by minute spiny papillae, an everted cirrus and dome-shaped papillae on the tegumental area around the genital pore. The cirrus lacked basal papillae, showing morphological variation between the adult and metacercarial stages. Our study, therefore, provides new insights into the phenotypic identification of flukes that may be pathogenic to fishes and humans and, therefore, of scientific and practical importance.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Going Dutch: Invasion pathways and current European distribution of non-native land flatworm species belonging to Geoplaninae and Bipaliinae with focus on the Netherlands
Non-native land flatworms can have a negative impact on local ecosystems, due to their voracious appetites for earthworms or snails. Accurate knowledge on the distribution of non-native populations of land flatworms is necessary to design effective policy to control their spread across Europe. The aim of this study is to address the spatiotemporal distribution of selected species of non-native land flatworms (Geoplaninae and Bipaliinae) in the Netherlands, and provide their current distribution and introduction pathways in a pan-European perspective. Specimens of Obama spp., Bipalium kewense and Diversibipalium multilineatum were reported across selected Dutch gardens, greenhouses, plant nurseries or garden centers. European distribution of these planarians species was reconstructed using previously published datasets and from records available on GBIF. Morphological species identification was supported by DNA barcoding using a portion of the 28S rDNA marker. Introduction pathways were addressed via haplotype networks based on COI mtDNA. In total, 27 specimens of non-native land flatworms were collected in the Netherlands. Their different spatiotemporal distribution pattern indicates differences in tolerance to environmental conditions in Northern Europe between B. kewense restricted to greenhouses and D. multilineatum found in gardens. Generally, an increasing trend in the number of records of Obama nungara is observed in the Netherlands and in Europe, with the highest number of records per country reported in France (1.428) followed by the Netherlands (149) and Italy (64). The high numbers of France are, however, artificial and originate from communication towards the public, which has not been as pronounced in other European countries. Genetic analyses suggest multiple introductions of O. nungara in Europe. The combination of morphological and molecular species identification revealed the presence of Obama anthropophila being the first record of this species outside its native range in Brazil. Our results further support the established status of these species in Europe and highlight the importance of citizen scientists in non-native species research.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Unveiling hidden species diversity within Southern Ocean Iphimediidae (Crustacea, Amphipoda) through DNA and 3D-geometric morphometrics, with the description of 10 new species
The Antarctic shelf benthos is threatened by climate-related environmental changes and anthropogenic stressors. A baseline knowledge of biodiversity and species distribution ranges is essential for effective monitoring and conservation. Here, we integrate DNA-based species delimitation methods with morphological analyses to explore species diversity within Antarctic Iphimediidae. Our results reveal that ten nominal species are complexes of multiple species, most of which can be distinguished by small but consistent morphological differences. We formally describe ten of these new species: Stegopanoploea brevidentata sp. nov., Maxilliphimedia acutilobata sp. nov., Maxilliphimedia oliveri sp. nov., Echiniphimedia spinosior sp. nov., Echiniphimedia maxima sp. nov., Iphimediella longidentata sp. nov., Iphimediella brachyodonta sp. nov., Iphimediella longilobata sp. nov., Labriphimedia adeliae sp. nov., and Labriphimedia anneninae sp. nov. Most previously recorded circum-Antarctic iphimediid species are found to consist of regionally distributed species. Furthermore, we apply 3D-geometric morphometrics on the Gnathiphimedia sexdentata complex to investigate whether ‘cryptic’ species can be differentiated by variation in continuous morphological traits. This method provides additional diagnostic characters for the morphological identification of two G. sexdentata clades. This integrative taxonomy study increases the number of nominal Antarctic iphimediid species from 39 to 49, with 14 additional putative species requiring further study for formal description.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference A new small, mesorostrine inioid (Cetacea, Odontoceti, Delphinida) from four upper Miocene localities in the Pisco Basin, Peru
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Toward a Harmonization for Using in situ Nutrient Sensors in the Marine Environment
Improved comparability of nutrient concentrations in seawater is required to enhance the quality and utility of measurements reported to global databases. Significant progress has been made over recent decades in improving the analysis and data quality for traditional laboratory measurements of nutrients. Similar efforts are required to establish high-quality data outputs from in situ nutrient sensors, which are rapidly becoming integral components of ocean observing systems. This paper suggests using the good practices routine established for laboratory reference methods to propose a harmonized set of deployment protocols and of quality control procedures for nutrient measurements obtained from in situ sensors. These procedures are intended to establish a framework to standardize the technical and analytical controls carried out on the three main types of in situ nutrient sensors currently available (wet chemical analyzers, ultraviolet optical sensors, electrochemical sensors) for their deployments on all kinds of platform. The routine reference controls that can be applied to the sensors are listed for each step of sensor use: initial qualification under controlled conditions in the laboratory, preparation of the sensor before deployment, field deployment and finally the sensor recovery. The fundamental principles applied to the laboratory reference method are then reviewed in terms of the calibration protocol, instrumental interferences, environmental interferences, external controls, and method performance assessment. Data corrections (linearity, sensitivity, drifts, interferences and outliers) are finally identified along with the concepts and calculations for qualification for both real time and time delayed data. This paper emphasizes the necessity of future collaborations between research groups, reference-accredited laboratories, and technology developers, to maintain comparability of the concentrations reported for the various nutrient parameters measured by in situ sensors.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020