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Article Reference Structurally stable but functionally disrupted marine microbial communities under a future climate change scenario: Potential importance for nitrous oxide emissions
The blue mussel Mytilus edulis is a widespread and abundant bivalve species along the North Sea with high economic and ecological importance as an engineer species. The shell of mussels is intensively colonized by microbial organisms that can produce significant quantities of nitrous oxide (N2O), a potent greenhouse gas. To characterize the impacts of climate change on the composition, structure and functioning of microbial biofilms on the shell surface of M. edulis, we experimentally exposed them to orthogonal combinations of increased seawater temperature (20 vs. 23 ◦ C) and decreased pH (8.0 vs. 7.7) for six weeks. We used amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene to characterize the alpha and beta diversity of microbial communities on the mussel shell. The functioning of microbial biofilms was assessed by measuring aerobic respiration and nitrogen emission rates. We did not report any significant impacts of climate change treatments on the diversity of mussel microbiomes nor on the structure of these communities. Lowered pH and increased temperature had antagonistic effects on the functioning of microbial communities with decreased aerobic respiration and N2O emission rates of microbial
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Developing expert scientific consensus on the environmental and societal effects of marine artificial structures prior to decommissioning
Thousands of artificial (‘human-made ’ ) structures are present in the marine environment, many at or approaching end-of-life and requiring urgent decisions regarding their decommissioning. No consensus has been reached on which decommissioning option(s) result in optimal environmental and societal outcomes, in part, owing to a paucity of evidence from real-world decommissioning case studies. To address this significant chal- lenge, we asked a worldwide panel of scientists to provide their expert opinion. They were asked to identify and characterise the ecosystem effects of artificial structures in the sea, their causes and consequences, and to identify which, if any, should be retained following decommissioning. Experts considered that most of the pressures driving ecological and societal effects from marine artificial structures (MAS) were of medium severity, occur frequently, and are dependent on spatial scale with local-scale effects of greater magnitude than regional effects. The duration of many effects following decommissioning were considered to be relatively short, in the order of days. Overall, environmental effects of structures were considered marginally undesirable, while societal effects marginally desirable. Experts therefore indicated that any decision to leave MAS in place at end-of-life to be more beneficial to society than the natural environment. However, some individual environmental effects were considered desirable and worthy of retention, especially in certain geographic locations, where structures can support improved trophic linkages, increases in tourism, habitat provision, and population size, and provide stability in population dynamics. The expert analysis consensus that the effects of MAS are both negative and positive for the environment and society, gives no strong support for policy change whether removal or retention is favoured until further empirical evidence is available to justify change to the status quo. The combination of desirable and undesirable effects associated with MAS present a significant challenge for policy- and decision- makers in their justification to implement decommissioning options. Decisions may need to be decided on a case-by-case basis accounting for the trade-off in costs and benefits at a local level.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference The underwater soundscape of the North Sea
As awareness on the impact of anthropogenic underwater noise on marine life grows, underwater noise mea- surement programs are needed to determine the current status of marine areas and monitor long-term trends. The Joint Monitoring Programme for Ambient Noise in the North Sea (JOMOPANS) collaborative project was funded by the EU Interreg to collect a unique dataset of underwater noise levels at 19 sites across the North Sea, spanning many different countries and covering the period from 2019 to 2020. The ambient noise from this dataset has been characterised and compared - setting a benchmark for future measurements in the North Sea area. By identifying clusters with similar sound characteristics in three broadband frequency bands (25 – 160 Hz, 0.2 – 1.6 kHz, and 2 – 10 kHz), geographical areas that are similarly affected by sound have been identified. The measured underwater sound levels show a persistent and spatially uniform correlation with wind speed at high frequencies (above 1 kHz) and a correlation with the distance from ships at mid and high frequencies (between 40 Hz and 4 kHz). Correlation with ocean current velocity at low frequencies (up to 200 Hz), which are sus- ceptible to nonacoustic contamination by flow noise, was also evaluated. These correlations were evaluated and simplified linear scaling laws for wind and current speeds were derived. The presented dataset provides a baseline for underwater noise measurements in the North Sea and shows that spatial variability of the dominant sound sources must be considered to predict the impact of noise reduction measures.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
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 Mise au jour d’une nouvelle partie de la collection de François Beaufays (dit « l’Horloger ») contenant des vestiges humains de Spy (Prov. de Namur, BE)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023 OA
Article Reference Novel Cardinium strains from non-marine ostracod (Crustacea) hosts
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference A new species of Protoceratops (Dinosauria, Neoceratopsia) from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia (P. R. China).
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 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 A monodontid cetacean from the Early Pliocene of the North Sea
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 Revision of the Eurybrachidae (XVI). The Australian Olonia rubicunda (Walker, 1851): Description of the male, distribution and host plants (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Eurybrachidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020