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Article Reference Late Pleistocene modern human diversity in Central Africa
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference The Upper Paleolithic human remains from the Troisieme caverne of Goyet (Belgium)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2017
Article Reference An illustrated catalogue of the Neotropical Gracillariidae (Lepidoptera) with new data on primary types
Located in Library / RBINS collections by external author(s)
Article Reference Transfer of the Taxonomic Positions of Some Holotrichia Species (Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Melolonthini)
Located in Library / RBINS collections by external author(s)
Book Reference Joseph Charles Hippolyte Crosse (1826-1898), 1: biography, bibliography and new taxa introduced
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022 OA
Article Reference Harnessing the power of machine and deep learning for transferring joint species distribution models considering the structure of biotic interactions
The transferability of single or joint species distribution models ((j)SDMs) depends on their ability to predict beyond the observed environmental range and to remain consistent despite shifts in biotic interactions. Transfer accuracy may be improved by recent advances in the application of deep learning that provide greater flexibility and potentially superior predictive accu- racy than traditional approaches. We implemented jSDMs with deep and machine learning algorithms and measured the transfer accuracy from continental to regional areas in communities with different species composition. We ran jSDMs with deep neural networks (DNN), elastic net (EN), and stacked SDMs (sSDM) with random forests (RF). We used 134 689 occurrence records representing 1776 species of six taxonomic groups (beetles, birds, bryophytes, fungi, lichens and plants) from 2387 forest plots in Europe. We employed an agnostic modelling approach that covered most of the environmental con- ditions by including more than 100 satellite-derived variables and 98 climatic variables. The predictive power of the models within the training continental area was evaluated using AUC, whereas the transfer accuracy in the regional area was evalu- ated with the Boyce index calculated with independent presence records. We found that the DNN–jSDMs outperformed other models at continental scale, but model transfer from continental to regional extent was less accurate. We found that the accuracy of regional predictions was higher for taxonomic groups with better representation in the continental data, such as birds, bryophytes and plants. Depending on the algorithm and the taxonomic group, we achieved acceptable (Boyce > 0) to accurate (Boyce > 0.5) transferability for 32–78% of the species. Our findings underscored the need of considering trade-offs among hyperparameter tuning, spatial scales and model complexity. Our findings also suggest that the varying biotic interac- tion structures and, particularly, the different species compositions of the transfer areas, may affect model transferability more than previously considered.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Cataulacus nywelendefu sp. nov. (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): a New Arboreal Ant from Tanzania
A new species of the genus Cataulacus: Cataulacus nywelendefu sp. nov. is described from the Segoma Forest in Northeastern Tanzania. An addition to the existing key for Afrotropical Cataulacus species is given.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Planting food forests can increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes of Northwest Europe
Food forests are an emerging agroecosystem in the temperate zone, aimed at providing food while supporting high levels of biodiversity. How food forestry impacts belowground biodiversity is, however, largely unknown. We compared communities of 12 taxonomic groups of soil organisms between 15 food forests and nearby grasslands, croplands and forests in Northwest Europe. Food forest soil communities appeared to differ from communities in grass- and croplands and more closely resembled forest communities in terms of total biomass or number of individuals of most taxonomic groups, with especially higher numbers of most macroarthropods. In terms of composition, food forest communities of most groups were overall intermediate between those in grass- and croplands and those in forests. For microorganismal and microfaunal groups, food forest communities bore a greater resemblance to grass- and cropland communities than to forest communities. Besides a higher alpha-diversity for non-arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and certain macroarthropod groups in food forests, differences in alpha- and beta-diversity were overall limited. As food forests appear to support different soil communities than grass- and croplands, planting food forests could increase soil biodiversity in agricultural landscapes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference Spiroplasma Display an Intricate Continuum of Infection Heterogeneity and Persistence in Myrmica Ants
Many bacterial taxa evolved facultative symbiotic associations with insects and spread through host populations by horizontal and maternal transmission. Co-infection at the individual host level may facilitate or constrain the spread of facultative symbi- onts. Due to insufficiently detailed genotyping, co-infections of maternally transmitted symbionts often remain hidden, limit- ing our understanding of (co-)infection dynamics. Spiroplasma bacteria exhibit multiple independent origins of symbiosis with insects and have poorly understood patterns of transmission and co-infection. Here, we examined these traits of Spiroplasma symbiosis using Myrmica ants, a system known for high frequencies of single Spiroplasma infections. Through exhaustive genotyping of 75 colonies across seven Myrmica species, we uncovered multiple cryptic co-infections involving two distinct Spiroplasma clades that display significantly different infection frequencies in workers. Within Myrmica ruginodis, infection heterogeneity was contingent on ant caste and was lower in workers. Remarkably, the sMyr Spiroplasma variant infected four Myrmica species and was widespread in queens and workers. We provide phylogenomic and functional genomic support for an exceptionally stable symbiosis with maternally acquired sMyr, with a predicted infection persistence of seven million years in the Myrmica scabrinodis species group. Our findings reveal that Spiroplasma can display complex infection heterogeneity and evolve an evolutionary stable maternally acquired infection within insect hosts.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA
Article Reference On the Darwin Core Term dwc:habitat, and the Need to Adopt a European Vocabulary Based on NATURA2000 and EUNIS Classifications, with a Comment on International Applicability
Darwin Core (DwC) is an essential standard for sharing biodiversity data. However, the term dwc:habitat suffers from an inherent ambiguity due to its free-text format. This ambiguity severely compromises the interoperability and reusability of habitat data, hindering large-scale comparative analyses and impeding the formulation of effective conservation policies. As a solution to this problem, we propose adopting controlled vocabularies and ontologies. The NATURA2000 and EUNIS habitat classifications emerge as ideal candidates to standardize dwc:habitat. NATURA2000 offers a consolidated regulatory framework and habitat type definitions with direct implications for European conservation, while EUNIS provides a more comprehensive, hierarchical, and scientifically grounded system with the ability to cross-map with other standards. The implementation of such vocabularies would significantly improve the quality, consistency, interoperability, and reusability of habitat data, more robustly supporting scientific research and conservation policies.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2026 OA