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Article Reference A new species of Holothuria (Aspidochitotida, Holothuriidae) from Kenya
A new species, Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) arenacava (Echinodermata, Holothuroidea) from the littoral waters of Kenya is described. This species is characterized by its sand-burrowing behaviour, its small tentacles, the variously developed tables, corpuscules, buttons, plates and rods in the tube feet, and by the smooth, spiny and knobbed rods in the tentacles.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Inproceedings Reference Sawflies containing toxic peptides
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference An incredibly massive ancient whale skeleton reveals a new way to become a giant
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Lilingostrobus chaloneri gen. et sp. nov., a Late Devonian woody lycopsid from Hunan, China
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference A global approach for natural history museum collections
Integration of the world’s natural history collections can provide a resource for decision-makers Over the past three centuries, people have collected objects and specimens and placed them in natural history museums throughout the world. Taken as a whole, this global collection is the physical basis for our understanding of the natural world and our place in it, an unparalleled source of information that is directly relevant to issues as diverse as wildlife conservation, climate change, pandemic preparedness, food security, invasive species, rare minerals, and the bioeconomy (1). Strategic coordination and use of the global collection has the potential to focus future collecting and guide decisions that are relevant to the future of humanity and biodiversity. To begin to map the aggregate holdings of the global collection, we describe here a simple and fast method to assess the contents of any natural history museum, and report results based on our assessment of 73 of the world’s largest natural history museums and herbaria from 28 countries.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Primitive equoid and tapiroid mammals: keys for interpreting the Ypresian – Lutetian transition in Belgium.
Terrestrial mammal teeth, pertaining to the primitive horses Hallensia louisi and Propachynolophus levei and the tapiroid Lophiodon remensis, have been discovered at the base of the marine Lede Formation in the Oosterzele and Balegem sandpits, 10 km southeast of Gent. According to its calcareous nannofossil NP15 dating, the basal Lede Formation in that area belongs to the Middle Lutetian. Comparison with in situ records in the Paris Basin suggests a latest Ypresian origin for the mammals (reference-level MPIO) and consequently reworking. The Oosterzele and Balegem specimens most probably originate from erosion of the continental Aalterbrugge Lignitic Horizon (uppermost Ypresian), which is cropping out nearby. The additional reworked faunal and lithological components at the base of the Lede Formation suggest that also the Aalter Formation (top NP13-base NP14) and the overlying Brussel Formation (NP14), or certain parts of these, were deposited but subsequently eroded in that area. The depositional history of the Lede Formation, resulting from the interplay of tectonic uplift and eustatic sea-level changes, is detailed.
Located in RBINS Publications / Bulletin of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences - Earth Sciences. / Bulletin of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences - Earth Sciences
Article Reference Cyprideis (Crustacea, Ostracoda) in Australia
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Techreport Reference Executive summary, in: Degraer, S. et al. (Ed.) (2016). Environmental impacts of offshore wind farms in the Belgian part of the North Sea: Environmental impact monitoring reloaded. pp. i-ix
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2016
Article Reference Advancing the Catalogue of the World’s Natural History Collections
Information about natural history collections helps to map the complex landscape of research resources and assists researchers in locating and contacting the holders of specimens. Collection records contribute to the development of a fully interlinked biodiversity knowledge graph (Page 2016), showcasing the existence and importance of museums and herbaria and supplying context to available data on specimens. These records also potentially open new avenues for fresh use of these collections and for accelerating their full availability online.A number of international (e.g., Index Herbariorum, GRSciColl) regional (e.g. DiSSCo and CETAF) national (e.g., ALA and the Living Atlases, iDigBio US Collections Catalog) and institutional networks (e.g., The Field Museum) separately document subsets of the world's collections, and the Biodiversity Information Standards (TDWG) Collection Descriptions Interest Group is actively developing standards to support information sharing on collections. However, these efforts do not yet combine to deliver a comprehensive and connected view of all collections globally.The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) received funding as part of the European Commission-funded SYNTHESYS+ 7 project to explore development of a roadmap towards delivering such a view, in part as a contribution towards the establishment of DiSSCo services within a global ecosystem of collection catalogues. Between 17 and 29 April 2020, a coordination team comprising international representatives from multiple networks ran Advancing the Catalogue of the World’s Natural History Collections, a fully online consultation using the GBIF Discourse forum platform to guide discussion around 26 consultation topics identified in an initial Ideas Paper (Hobern et al. 2020). Discussions included support for contributions in Spanish, Chinese and French and were summarised daily throughout the consultation.The consultation confirmed broad agreement around the needs and goals for a comprehensive catalogue of the world’s natural history collections, along with possible strategies to overcome the challenges. This presentation will summarise the results and recommendations.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Inproceedings Reference Structural framework as the new fundament for international geoscientific cooperation and policy support
The transition towards a clean and low carbon energy system in Europe will increasingly rely on the use of the subsurface. Communicating the potential and limitations of subsurface resources and applications remains challenging. This is partly because the subsurface is not part of the world people experience, leaving them without reference frame to understand impacts or consequences. A second element is that the geological context of a specific area is very abstract, three dimensional, and hence difficult to correctly and intuitively disclose using traditional geological maps or models. The GeoConnect³d project is finalising the development and testing of a new type of information system that can be used for various geo-applications, decision-making, and subsurface spatial planning. This is being accomplished through the innovative structural framework model, which reorganises, contextualises, and adds value to geological data. The model is primarily focused on geological limits, or broadly planar structures that separate a given geological unit from its neighbouring units. It also includes geomanifestations, highlighting any distinct local expression of ongoing or past geological processes. These manifestations, or anomalies, often point to specific geologic conditions and therefore can be important sources of information to improve geological understanding of an area and its subsurface (see Van Daele et al., this volume, Rombaut et al., this volume ). Geological information in this model is composed of spatial data at different scales, with a one-to-one link between geometries and their specific attributes (including uncertainties), and of semantic data, categorised conceptually and/or linked using generic SKOS hierarchical schemes. Concepts and geometries are linked by a one-to-many relationship. The combination of these elements subsequently results in a multi-scale, harmonised and robust model. In spite of its sound technical basis, consultation is highly intuitive. The underlying vocabulary is of high scientific standard and linked to INSPIRE and GeoSciML schemes, but can also automatically, both visually and semantically, be simplified to be understood by non-experts. The structural framework-geomanifestations methodology has now been applied to different areas in Europe. The focus on geological limits brings various advantages, such as displaying geological information in an explicit, and therefore more understandable way, and simplifying harmonisation efforts in large-scale geological structures crossing national borders originating from models of different scale and resolution. The link between spatial and semantic data is key in adding conceptual definitions and interpretations to geometries, and provides a very thorough consistency test for present-day regional understanding of geology. As a framework, other geological maps and models can be mapped to it by identifying common limits, such as faults, unconformities, etc, allowing to bring together non-harmonised maps in a meaningful way. The model demonstrates it is possible to gather existing geological data into a harmonised and robust knowledge system. We consider this as the way forward towards pan-European integration and harmonisation of geological information. Moreover, we identify the great potential of the structural framework model as a toolbox to communicate geosciences beyond our specialised community. Making geological information available to all stakeholders involved is an important step to support subsurface spatial planning to move forward towards a clean energy transition. . This project has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 731166.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2021