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Article Reference Discovery of a new duiker species (Bovidae: Cephalophinae) from the Dahomey Gap, West Africa
Among the two most widely distributed duiker species, Philantomba monticola (Thunberg, 1789) and Philantomba maxwelli (C.H. Smith, 1827), the latter shows geographic variation in pelage color and body size. This issue was not investigated in detail so far, especially in the eastern region of its distribution area, notably due to the lack of material from the Dahomey Gap. We undertook a species-level revision of Philantomba in West Africa, notably including a series of specimens collected in Togo, Benin and Nigeria. Using morphological measurements (craniometry) and genetic data (two mitochondrial and three nuclear markers), we describe a new duiker species occurring in the Dahomey Gap (Togo, Benin) and the Niger delta, Philantomba walteri sp. nov. This discovery highlights the importance of the Dahomey Gap for the evolutionary history of the West African forest faunas. It also has conservation implications given that the new species is one of the main targets of the local bushmeat trade.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Discovery of Recent thecideide brachiopods (Order: Thecideida, Family: Thecideidae) in Sulawesi, Indonesian Archipelago, with implications for reproduction and shell size in the genus Ospreyella
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Discovery-defense strategy as a mechanism of social foraging of ants in tropical rainforest canopies
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Dispersal and gene flow in free-living marine nematodes
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Dispersal capacity underlies scale-dependent changes in species richness patterns under human disturbance
Changes in the species richness of (meta-)communities emerge from changes in the relative species abundance distribution (SAD), the total density of individuals, and the amount of spatial aggregation of individuals from the same species. Yet, how human disturbance affects these underlying diversity components at different spatial scales and how this interacts with important species traits, like dispersal capacity, remain poorly understood. Using data of carabid beetle communities along a highly replicated urbanization gradient, we reveal that species richness in urban sites was reduced due to a decline in individual density as well as changes in the SAD at both small and large spatial scales. Changes in these components of species richness were linked to differential responses of groups of species that differ in dispersal capacity. The individual density effect on species richness was due to a drastic 90% reduction of low-dispersal individuals in more urban sites. Conversely, the decrease in species richness due to changes in the SAD at large (i.e., loss of species from the regional pool) and small (i.e., decreased evenness) spatial scales were driven by species with intermediate and high dispersal ability, respectively. These patterns coincide with the expected responses of these dispersal-type assemblages toward human disturbance, namely, (i) loss of low-dispersal species by local extinction processes, (ii) loss of higher-dispersal species from the regional species pool due to decreased habitat diversity, and (iii) dominance of a few highly dispersive species resulting in a decreased evenness. Our results demonstrate that dispersal capacity plays an essential role in determining scale-dependent changes in species richness patterns. Incorporating this information improves our mechanistic insight into how environmental change affects species diversity at different spatial scales, allowing us to better forecast how human disturbance will drive local and regional changes in biodiversity patterns.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference Dispersal mechanisms in amphipods: A case study of Jassa herdmani (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in the North Sea
Jassa herdmani (Walker 1893), a tube-building amphipod typical of hard substrates, was found in large densities on shipwrecks from the Belgian part of the North Sea, in association with the hydrozoan Tubularia indivisa. In this area, shipwrecks only represent the source of hard substrates in an environment dominated by soft sediments. Nevertheless, the long-distance dispersal of Jassa species has never been investigated. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis of dispersal with currents, by investigating the behaviour of J. herdmani in the laboratory. Size distribution revealed that newly released juveniles (1 mm) predominated throughout the year and the lower frequency of the size class 1-3 mm indicates a high mortality or a dispersal at this life stage. Individuals of J. herdmani may initiate actively the transport by tidal or surface currents by swimming to the surface of the water or by floating at the surface, as suggested by behaviours noted in the laboratory. The reaction of the amphipods to a current was investigated in the laboratory. We could not detect any sexual function associated with drifting and there was also no preponderance of a size class in the drifting individuals. When testing different substrates, we observed a significant influence of the substrate type on the frequency at which drifting occurred: J. herdmani showed a better adherence on T. indivisa compared to other substrates. Finally, the amphipod showed also a preference for its host compared to other substrates, which suggests a possible detection mechanism. © 2007 Springer-Verlag.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Dispersal model alert on the risks of alien species introduction by ballast waters in protected areas from the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Aim The Western Antarctic Peninsula is challenged by climate change and increasing maritime traffic that together facilitate the introduction of marine non-native species from warmer regions neighbouring the Southern Ocean. Ballast water exchange has been frequently reported as an introduction vector. This study uses a Lagrangian approach to model the passive drift of virtual propagules departing from Ballast water hypothetic exchange zones, at contrasting distances from the coasts. Location Western Antarctic Peninsula. Methods Virtual propagules were released over the 2008–2016 period and at three distances from the nearest coasts: 200 (convention for the management of Ballast Water, 2004), 50 or 11 nautical miles (NM). Results Results show that exchanging Ballast water at 200 NM considerably reduces the arrival of propagules in proposed marine protected areas of the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula. On the eastern side, propagules can reach north-eastern marine protected areas within a few days due to strong currents for all tested scenarios. Seasonal and yearly variations indicate that exceptional climate events could influence the trajectory of particles in the region. Ballast water should be exchanged at least 200 NM offshore on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula and avoided on the eastern side to limit particle arrival in proposed marine protected areas. Focusing on Deception Island, our results suggested that the Patagonian crab (Halicarcinus planatus) observed in 2010 could have been introduced in case of Ballast water exchange at 50 NM or less from the coast. Main conclusions This study highlights the importance of respecting Ballast water exchange convention to limit the risk of non-native species introduction. Ballast water exchange should be operated at least at 200 NM from the coasts, which further limits particle arrival in shallow water areas. This is especially important in the context of a more visited and warmer Southern Ocean.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Dispersal models alert on the risk of non-native species introduction by Ballast water in protected areas from the Western Antarctic Peninsula
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Dispersal of continental vertebrates during the Paleogene: Preface
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Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Dispersals of placental carnivorous mammals (Carnivoramorpha, Oxyaenodonta & Hyaenodontida) near the Paleocene-Eocene boundary: a climatic and almost worldwide story
During the Late Paleocene and around the Paleocene-Eocene boundary, there were important mammalian dispersals in Laurasia involving earliest modern mammals such as rodents, primates, perissodactyls, and artiodactyls. The placental carnivorous mammals (Viverravidae, “Miacidae”, Hyaenodontida, Oxyaenodonta) importantly took part in these dispersals. The present article shows that these latter mammals allow reconstructing faunal dispersal scenarios during the early Paleogene. Indeed, they evidenced several dispersal ways among Laurasia, but also with Africa and possibly India. The dispersal phases discussed in the present paper concern the Early Paleocene, Late Paleocene, latest Paleocene (Clarkforkian NALMA), and Paleocene-Eocene transition.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications