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Article Reference Shell thickness of Nucella lapillus in the North Sea increased over the last 130 years despite ocean acidification
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Short-term changes in the structure of ant assemblages in a Guinean savanna under differing fire regimes at Lamto Scientific Reserve, Côte d’Ivoire
To maintain savanna vegetation, mid-seasonal fire has been applied since 1961 in the Lamto Savanna (Côte d’Ivoire). However, this prescribed fire has not impeded tree encroachment during recent years, nor have its effects on insect assemblages been documented. Also the impact of tree intrusion on insect assemblages is poorly studied in savanna. To prevent tree density increasing, a change in fire regime might be a solution. In this study, we examined the effect of different fire regimes (early, mid-seasonal and late fires) on leaf-litter ant assemblages in order to suggest appropriate measures for preventing tree invasion without having an effect on insect communities. Sampling was implemented by combining pitfall trapping and leaf-litter sampling before and after three different fire regimes, early, mid-seasonal and late fires. While the ant species richness declined after the passage of early and mid-seasonal fires, significantly more species were found in the burnt savanna after the late fire. However, the losses or gains of species due to different fire regimes did not cause severe changes in the ant species composition. Of the functional groups identified, only the generalists and specialist predators were respectively strongly affected by the early and mid-seasonal fires, certainly due to micro-habitat modification. Based on the trends observed in the present study, we suggest sampling other invertebrate fauna in similar savanna plots to find out if other insect groups have similar reactions to the applied fire regimes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Short-term changes in the structure of ant assemblages in a Guinean savanna under difering fire regimes at Lamto Sientific Reserve, Côte d'Ivoire
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Shrews (Soricidae) of the lowland forests around Kisangani (DR Congo)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019
Article Reference Significant loss of mitochondrial diversity within the last century due to extinction of peripheral populations in eastern gorillas
Species and populations are disappearing at an alarming rate as a direct result of human activities. Loss of genetic diversity associated with population decline directly impacts species’ long-term survival. Therefore, preserving genetic diversity is of considerable conservation importance. However, to assist in conservation efforts, it is important to understand how genetic diversity is spatially distributed and how it changes due to anthropogenic pressures. In this study, we use historical museum and modern faecal samples of two critically endangered eastern gorilla taxa, Grauer’s (Gorilla beringei graueri) and mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), to directly infer temporal changes in genetic diversity within the last century. Using over 100 complete mitochondrial genomes, we observe a significant decline in haplotype and nucleotide diversity in Grauer’s gorillas. By including historical samples from now extinct populations we show that this decline can be attributed to the loss of peripheral populations rather than a decrease in genetic diversity within the core range of the species. By directly quantifying genetic changes in the recent past, our study shows that human activities have severely impacted eastern gorilla genetic diversity within only four to five generations. This rapid loss calls for dedicated conservation actions, which should include preservation of the remaining peripheral populations.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Article Reference Silpha tyrolensis Laicharting, 1781 (Coleoptera: Silphidae), an unexpected addition to the Belgian fauna
In the course of the Belgian Silphidae Project, four specimens of Silpha tyrolensis Laicharting, 1781 were encountered when studying the unidentified Silphidae in the entomological collection of the Haute École Provinciale de Hainaut-Condorcet in Ath. These are the first records of this species for Belgium and are from the period 1990–2010. Subsequent recent trapping in the region where the specimens were found revealed no additional specimens. In this paper the records are presented and the distribution of the species in Belgium and Europe is mapped and discussed.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Six new species of the Platypalpus pallidiventris-cursitans group (Diptera: Hybotidae) from the Caucasus
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications
Article Reference Sixteen issid planthopper species in one day in Dong Son-Ky Thuong Nature Reserve in North Vietnam: Eight new species, one new genus and additional new records (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Issidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Article Reference Size of the lower carnassial in the arctic and the red fox from Late Pleistocene in Belgium compared to other ancient and extant populations
Lengths, widths, and size proportions (length to width) of the lower carnassial were measured in 45 teeth of the arctic fox and 35 teeth of the red fox from Belgium radiocarbon dated to 46 640–14 120 ka BP. Data the Late Pleistocene foxes from Belgium were compared to 20 ancient and extant populations form Europe, Asia, and North America. The Pleistocene arctic fox from Belgium showed larger carnassial than in all recent samples of this species, whereas the Belgian fossil red foxes were characterized by the carnassial size comparable to that of the recent Siberian red foxes. Both fox species from the Pleistocene of Belgium showed the highest index of the carnassials length to width, which means increase in carnivorous adaptation. We conclude that the higher level of carnivorous specialization reached by the Belgian arctic and red foxes at the end of the Late Pleistocene reflected their scavenging on kills of large carnivores and human hunters (remains of megafauna). Harsh environmental conditions of that period and specific composition of ecosystems led to adapting to a more carnivorous food niche in both foxes.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020
Article Reference Sogana cysana sp. nov., a new tropiduchid planthopper from Chu Yang Sin National Park in Vietnam and key to Vietnamese species of the genus (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Tropiduchidae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2020