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Mitogenomics reveals high synteny and long evolutionary histories of sympatric cryptic nematode species
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Species with seemingly identical morphology but with distinct genetic differences are abundant in the marine environment and frequently co-occur in the same habitat. Such cryptic species are typically delineated using a limited number of mitochondrial and/or nuclear marker genes, which do not yield information on gene order and gene content of the genomes under consideration. We used next-generation sequencing to study the composition of the mitochondrial genomes of four sympatrically distributed cryptic species of the Litoditis marina species complex (PmI, PmII, PmIII, and PmIV). The ecology, biology, and natural occurrence of these four species are well known, but the evolutionary processes behind this cryptic speciation remain largely unknown. The gene order of the mitochondrial genomes of the four species was conserved, but differences in genome length, gene length, and codon usage were observed. The atp8 gene was lacking in all four species. Phylogenetic analyses confirm that PmI and PmIV are sister species and that PmIII diverged earliest. The most recent common ancestor of the four cryptic species was estimated to have diverged 16 MYA. Synonymous mutations outnumbered nonsynonymous changes in all protein-encoding genes, with the Complex IV genes (coxI-III) experiencing the strongest purifying selection. Our mitogenomic results show that morphologically similar species can have long evolutionary histories and that PmIII has several differences in genetic makeup compared to the three other species, which may explain why it is better adapted to higher temperatures than the other species.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
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Mixed breeding system in the hermaphroditic land slug Arion intermedius (Stylommatophora, Arionidae)
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RBINS Staff Publications
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Modélisation 3D par imagerie lidar et analyse structurale de la Salle du Dôme des Grottes de Han-sur-Lesse (Belgique, Ardenne)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2020
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Modellering van een alternatieve stortstrategie voor de onderhoudsbaggerwerken in de voorhaven van Zeebrugge
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RBINS Staff Publications
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Modelling anthropogenic deposits in 3D geological models
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While geological models traditionally focus on the natural status of the underground, the shallow subsurface has been significantly altered by human activities over centuries. Particularly in urban contexts, ground has been raised, reworked, filled-in or disturbed in other ways. The rationale behind these alterations is as varied as the characteristics of the associated anthropogenic deposits: large-scale structures such as residential and industrial areas built on extensive sheets of filling materials or reclaimed lands are intertwined with smaller-scale features related, for example, to road and railway infrastructures, dikes or landfills. Their composition is equally diverse, ranging from displaced natural materials, such as crushed rocks, gravel, sand or clay, to artificial substances like recycled steel slags, concrete or rubble, or mixtures of these. Gaining knowledge on the presence and characteristics of such deposits is highly relevant, as their physical and chemical behaviour may differ significantly from those of natural deposits. The significance of anthropogenic deposits is increasingly recognized in urban geology. Resolving the geometry and properties of the urban shallow subsurface is essential for anticipating associated risks, for example dealing with pollution, ground stability or distorted water infiltration patterns. Anthropogenic deposits are, however, often scantily archived in permit documentation or represented on (geological) maps. Within the GSEU (Geological Service for Europe) project, the GSB is contributing to the task to develop a common, international vocabulary to describe all aspects of anthropogenic deposits, allowing standardised representation and characterisation in geological models. In parallel, VITO is developing shallow subsurface urban models for the Flemish government (VPO) within the VLAKO-framework, such as the published model of the Antwerp harbour and city. As the anthropogene inherently is part of these models, we are always aiming to better incorporate these deposits into the models. However, modelling the anthropogene presents unique challenges due to its high-resolution variability, scarcity of input data, and dynamic nature. It requires an approach that differs radically from traditional geological modelling techniques, in which depositional concepts related to the sedimentational or structural environment can be incorporated. In this presentation we will outline how we integrate various 1D, 2D and 3D sources to identify and characterize anthropogenic deposits and incorporate these insights in a 3D geological model of the anthropogene. This methodology is applied to the urban periphery of Brussels, where a new 3D geological model is being developed to support infrastructure projects and urban planning with special focus on the ring road (R0) of Brussels. Secondly, we will evaluate current lithological standards, vocabulary and stratigraphic approaches to characterize anthropogenic deposits. We will discuss their applicability in Flanders with practical examples from the periphery of Brussels. Ultimately, improving the representation of the anthropogene in geological models will significantly enhance their utility for urban planning, environmental management, and the sustainable utilization of the subsurface in urban areas.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Modelling Low Sulphur Fuel Oil Weathering
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The main objective of the IMAROS task 3.5 “modelling the weathering of low Sulphur fuel oil” was to demonstrate the ability or the inability of the existing oil weathering parameterizations to predict the weathering of the new fuel oil types. In case the current parameterizations turn out to be inaccurate, new parametrizations had to be suggested. Finally, since each European countries operate their own oil spill drift, fate and behavior model, the findings and conclusions of this task had to be reported independently of these models but as best practices that could be implemented in the different national models. To achieve all these objectives, a 3-step methodology was followed. First, a literature review has been performed to identify the state-of-the-art oil weathering parametrizations. Then, the selected weathering parameterizations were implemented in a so-called “toy model” (i.e., a light 0D oil weathering model whose only purpose was to play with the implemented weathering parameterizations). Finally, the toy model results were validated / invalidated against observations from several experiments carried out at CEDRE’s polludrome (tank filled with water able to simulate the weathering of oil at sea). The present reports strictly follow this 3-step approach. In section 2 , we define the concept of oil weathering and give a comprehensive introduction to the concept of weathering model and weathering process parametrizations. Interested readers shall find the equations of the weathering processes parametrizations in Annex I. In section 3, we present the physicochemical characteristics of the LSFO oils tested in the framework of the IMAROS project. 13 oils referred as IM1 to IM13 have been initially tested in Lab. Their properties were quite diverse, for instance with a pour point ranging between -27°C and +30°C. In a second step, weathering of 3 VLSFO oils have been tested at pilot scale (flume tank). This report focuses on these 3 oils referenced as IM-5, IM-14, and IM-15. In section 4, we present the numerical experiences we performed with our toy model to simulate the oil weathering as in CEDRE’s flume tank. In section 5, we compare and discuss the model simulation results with the observation in CEDRE’s flume tank. Finally, in section 6, we draw some conclusions and present some recommendations in the form of best practices.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
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MODIRISK: Mosquito vectors of disease, collection, monitoring and longitudinal data from Belgium
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The MODIRISK project studied mosquito biodiversity and monitored and predicted biodiversity changes, to actively prepare to address issues of biodiversity change, especially invasive species and new pathogen risks. This work is essential given continuing global changes that may create suitable conditions for invasive species spread and the (re-)emergence of vector-borne diseases in Europe. Key strengths of MODIRISK, in the context of sustainable development, were the links between biodiversity and health and the environment, and its contribution to the development of tools for describing the spatial distribution of mosquito biodiversity. MODIRISK addressed key topics of the global Diversitas initiative, which was a main driver of the Belspo ‘Science for a Sustainable Development’ research program. Three different MODIRISK datasets were published in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF): the Collection dataset (the Culicidae collection of the Museum of Natural History in Brussels); the Inventory dataset (data from the MODIRISK inventory effort); and the Longitudinal dataset (experiment data used for risk assessments.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2022
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Molecular analysis of the Baikalodrilus species flock (Clitellata, Naididae), an endemic genus to Lake Baikal (Siberia, Russia)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
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Molecular and morphological inference of cryptic species within Anentome wykoffi (Brandt, 1974) (Gastropoda: Nassariidae) from Thailand
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
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Molecular barcoding capacities for a sharper picture of wildmeat consumption in Central Africa
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
