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Article Reference South American and Trinidadian terrestrial Gastropoda in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021 OA
Article Reference South American terrestrial Gastropoda in the collection of the Auckland War Memorial Museum
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Manual Reference Spatial and temporal occurrence of bats in the southern North Sea area
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Suspended Particulate Matter in Water Environments: A Review
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Spatiotemporal variation and sediment retention effects on nematode communities associated with Halimeda opuntia (Linnaeus) Lamouroux (1816) and Sargassum polyceratium Montagne (1837) seaweeds in a tropical phytal ecosystem
Nematodes play an important role in ecological processes and are one of the most abundant meiofaunal organisms associated with seaweeds. Yet, knowledge on seaweed bed ecosystems is limited. Nematodes associated with Sargassum polyceratium and Halimeda opuntia were compared in two transects, 80 m apart and parallel to the beach line in Cupe Beach, Brazil. The temporal variation during the dry and rainy seasons and the effect of sediment retention by the seaweed on nematode density and composition were investigated. The differences in nematode communities between the two seasons were mainly caused by the increase in density of the most abundant genera in the rainy season. A significant difference was observed between the nematode communities of the two transects for H. opuntia. The nematode communities of both seaweed species did not differ significantly in the same transect. The genus Euchromadora was dominant in both seaweed species. The amount of sediment retained by the seaweeds did not affect the overall nematode density. However, it was positively correlated with the density of Draconema and Euchromadora in both seaweeds, and both genera were exclusively found associated with seaweeds. This result opposes the idea that the more sediment retained by the seaweed, the higher the nematode overall density and the higher the number of nematodes originally coming from the sediment.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Article Reference Species distribution, hybridization and connectivity in the genus Chionodraco: Unveiling unknown icefish diversity in antarctica
Aim: The species of the genus Chionodraco (Notothenioidei) are the most abundant icefish on the continental shelf of the Weddell Sea. While previous studies indicated that only Chionodraco hamatus and Chionodraco myersi inhabit the Weddell Sea, the third Chionodraco species, Chionodraco rastrospinosus, was recently sampled in the area. As C. rastrospinosus is supposed to be found only at the Antarctic Peninsula and Scotia Arc, this study aimed at confirming the species classification of C. rastrospinosus by molecular methods and identifying its putative source population. Given the documented evidence of introgression among the three species, we tested whether the newly found C. rastrospinosus shared any genetic variability with the other Chionodraco species. To explain the pattern of distribution of the Chionodraco species, we aimed at estimating the hydrodynamic connectivity between the Antarctic Peninsula and the Weddell Sea. Location: Antarctic Peninsula, southern Scotia Arc and the south-eastern Weddell Sea. Methods: We genotyped 19 microsatellites and sequenced the mitochondrial D-loop for 560 Chionodraco individuals. We simulated the dispersal of more than 3 million drifters (Lagrangian model). Results: The molecular analyses support the presence of C. rastrospinosus in the Weddell Sea and its homogeneity with C. rastrospinosus from the Antarctic Peninsula. Bayesian clustering identifies three putative hybrids among C. rastrospinosus and the other congenerics. Lagrangian simulations do not support connectivity driven by the oceanographic features of the Antarctic Peninsula and Weddell Sea via passive larval dispersal only. Main conclusions: This study documents, for the first time, the presence of C. rastrospinosus in the Weddell Sea unveiling more biodiversity than previously known in this region. The sympatry of the three Chionodraco species explains the occurrence of occasional, ongoing events of hybridization in the genus. Alternative possible
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Species niches, not traits, determine abundance and occupancy patterns: A multi‐site synthesis
Aim Locally abundant species are usually widespread, and this pattern has been related to properties of the niches and traits of species. However, such explanations fail to account for the potential of traits to determine species niches and often overlook statistical artefacts. Here, we examine how trait distinctiveness determines the abilities of species to exploit either common habitats (niche position) or a range of habitats (niche breadth) and how niche position and breadth, in turn, affect abundance and occupancy. We also examine how statistical artefacts moderate these relationships. Location Sixteen sites in the Neotropics. Time period 1993–2014. Major taxa studied Aquatic invertebrates from tank bromeliads. Methods We measured the environmental niche position and breadth of each species and calculated its trait distinctiveness as the average trait difference from all other species at each site. Then, we used a combination of structural equation models and a meta-analytical approach to test trait–niche relationships and a null model to control for statistical artefacts. Results The trait distinctiveness of each species was unrelated to its niche properties, abundance and occupancy. In contrast, niche position was the main predictor of abundance and occupancy; species that used the most common environmental conditions found across bromeliads were locally abundant and widespread. Contributions of niche breadth to such patterns were attributable to statistical artefacts, indicating that effects of niche breadth might have been overestimated in previous studies. Main conclusions Our study reveals the generality of niche position in explaining one of the most common ecological patterns. The robustness of this result is underscored by the geographical extent of our study and our control of statistical artefacts. We call for a similar examination across other systems, which is an essential task to understand the drivers of commonness across the tree of life.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021
Article Reference Species turnover between the northern and southern part of the South China Sea in the Elaphropeza Macquart Mangrove fly communities of Hong Kong and Singapore (Insecta: Diptera: Hybotidae)
Located in Library / No RBINS Staff publications
Article Reference Specific initial training standards are needed to dive for science in Europe, Occupational vs . Citizen Science Diving
Today, collaboration between scienti fi c research and civil society is growing signi fi cantly. The general public ’ s curiosity drives it to engage with the scienti fi c process and culture and in the search for solutions to complex issues (economic, social, health, environmental, cultural, educational, or ethical). Clari fi cation is needed to differentiate between occupational scienti fi c activity and citizen-based science. They do not require the same scienti fi c and technical skills despite using similar equipment and their legal and administrative frameworks being totally different. The confusion created by the indiscriminate use of the same term “ scienti fi c diving ” to refer to different training courses and activities compromises the quality of existing occupational standards and, ultimately, has a negative impact on the safety of the activity at work. A clear de fi nition of Citizen Scienti fi c Diving and Occupational Scienti fi c Diving makes it possible to differentiate between the objectives and target groups of these two activities and their legal framework. There is a need to establish an accepted and shared standard in the occupational fi eld and to ensure the mobility of scientists. A long process undertaken by a motivated scienti fi c community (late 1980s-2000s) led to the establishment of European initial training standards for Occupational Scienti fi c Diving through the ESDP-European Scienti fi c Diving Panel ( fi rstly under the aegis of the European Marine Board, now of the MARS-European marine stations network). The quality and general acceptance of these standards by a large part of the European scienti fi c community have already adopted them in the occupational health and safety legislation of seven European countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the UK in 2023). Adopting them in other countries ’ health and safety legislation is still desirable. This will increase their recognition, acceptance and use for the bene fi t of scienti fi c work. Building bridges between academic science and non-academic citizen science is possible and this is done by developing coherent projects that produce results that bene fi t both science and society. While distinguishing between the two, as an added value, this approach could better guide the recreational diving training sector in developing a new market.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Speleothem records over the penultimate deglaciation and the Last Interglacial.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications