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Article Reference Nuclear phylogenomics, but not mitogenomics, resolves the most successful Late Miocene radiation of African mammals (Rodentia: Muridae: Arvicanthini)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Ontogenetic divergence generates novel phenotypes in hybrid cichlids
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference The Lanternflies (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha, Fulgoridae) of Khao Krachom Mountain, Thailand
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference The last interglacial‑glacial cycle in the Meuse Valley (southern Belgium) inferred from the amphibian and reptile assemblages: implications for Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans
The Meuse and its tributary valleys contain numerous Late Pleistocene cave sites that have yielded one of the largest collections of Neanderthal and Mousterian lithic industries in Europe. Today, it is an important north–south migratory corridor for flora and fauna, generating rich biotopes. The Quaternary collections of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (Brussels, Belgium) are here used to complement our knowledge of the successive herpetofaunal assemblages in Belgium during the last interglacial-glacial cycle (marine isotope stages 5 to 1). Herpetofauna from 18 caves are described for the first time. In total, 17 taxa (10 amphibians and seven reptiles) are identified, three of which correspond to their first fossil record for Belgium (Alytes obstetricans, Pelobates fuscus, and Hyla arborea). The thermophilic snake Zamenis longissimus is documented for the first time in the Holocene (Atlantic/Subboreal period) of Belgium. After marine isotope stage (MIS) 5, the Belgian herpetofauna was still reasonably diverse during MIS 3, but it seems to be represented only by the common frog Rana temporaria and a viper during MIS 2. Paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic reconstructions are proposed for a selection of the chronologically best-constrained sites, using the quantified ecology method. More specifically, the late Magdalenian of the Trou de Chaleux is reconstructed as particularly cold and dry. The seasonal contrast reaches its maximum during this period. The quantitative parameters calculated in this study provide a new paleoecological context for understanding the conditions with which the successive human species had to cope in Northwestern Europe during the last interglacial-glacial cycle.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference The Environment and its Exploitation Along the Lower Scheldt River During the Roman Period (Wichelen, Belgium – Late 1st to 3rd Centuries AD)
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).
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference chemical/x-molconn-Z The link between microbial diversity and nitrogen cycling in marine sediments is modulated by macrofaunal bioturbation
Objectives : The marine benthic nitrogen cycle is affected by both the presence and activity of macrofauna and the diversity of N-cycling microbes. However, integrated research simultaneously investigating macrofauna, microbes and N-cycling is lacking. We investigated spatio-temporal patterns in microbial community composition and diversity, macrofaunal abundance and their sediment reworking activity, and N-cycling in seven subtidal stations in the Southern North Sea. Spatio-Temporal Patterns of the Microbial Communities : Our results indicated that bacteria (total and beta-AOB) showed more spatio-temporal variation than archaea (total and AOA) as sedimentation of organic matter and the subsequent changes in the environment had a stronger impact on their community composition and diversity indices in our study area. However, spatio-temporal patterns of total bacterial and beta-AOB communities were different and related to the availability of ammonium for the autotrophic beta-AOB. Highest bacterial richness and diversity were observed in June at the timing of the phytoplankton bloom deposition, while richness of beta-AOB as well as AOA peaked in September. Total archaeal community showed no temporal variation in diversity indices. Macrofauna, Microbes and the Benthic N-Cycle : Distance based linear models revealed that, independent from the effect of grain size and the quality and quantity of sediment organic matter, nitrification and N-mineralization were affected by respectively the diversity of metabolically active beta-AOB and AOA, and the total bacteria, near the sediment-water interface. Separate models demonstrated a significant and independent effect of macrofaunal activities on community composition and richness of total bacteria, and diversity indices of metabolically active AOA. Diversity of beta-AOB was significantly affected by macrofaunal abundance. Our results support the link between microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in marine sediments, and provided broad correlative support for the hypothesis that this relationship is modulated by macrofaunal activity. We hypothesized that the latter effect can be explained by their bioturbating and bio-irrigating activities, increasing the spatial complexity of the biogeochemical environment.
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference chemical/x-molconn-Z Exploring the use of Cytochrome Oxidase c Subunit 1 (COI) for DNA barcoding of free-living marine nematodes
Background: The identification of free-living marine nematodes is difficult because of the paucity of easily scorable diagnostic morphological characters. Consequently, molecular identification tools could solve this problem. Unfortunately, hitherto most of these tools relied on 18S rDNA and 28S rDNA sequences, which often lack sufficient resolution at the species level. In contrast, only a few mitochondrial COI data are available for free-living marine nematodes. Therefore, we investigate the amplification and sequencing success of two partitions of the COI gene, the M1-M6 barcoding region and the I3-M11 partition. Methodology: Both partitions were analysed in 41 nematode species from a wide phylogenetic range. The taxon specific primers for the I3-M11 partition outperformed the universal M1-M6 primers in terms of amplification success (87.8\% vs. 65.8\%, respectively) and produced a higher number of bidirectional COI sequences (65.8\% vs 39.0\%, respectively). A threshold value of 5\% K2P genetic divergence marked a clear DNA barcoding gap separating intra-and interspecific distances: 99.3\% of all interspecific comparisons were 〉0.05, while 99.5\% of all intraspecific comparisons were 〈0.05 K2P distance. Conclusion: The I3-M11 partition reliably identifies a wide range of marine nematodes, and our data show the need for a strict scrutiny of the obtained sequences, since contamination, nuclear pseudogenes and endosymbionts may confuse nematode species identification by COI sequences.
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Book Reference Commercially important species of the world [in Chinese]
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference First record of the cicadas genus Orientopsaltria Kato, 1944 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Vietnam, with description of one new species
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference New marine Thinophilus species (Diptera: Dolichopodidae: Hydrophorinae) from the Thai Andaman Sea coast and new records from peninsular Thailand
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications