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The key to bringing DNA collections to the next level
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DNA collections are a valuable type of Natural Science collection, enabling the validation of past research, serving as a source for new genomic studies and supporting ex situ conservation. The DiSSCo Flanders DNA collection working group, aiming to advance and "unlock" their DNA collections, identified the need for: 1) actively sharing best practices regarding the management of DNA collections; and 2) providing guidance on how to bring theory into practice. By combining best practice examples from within the working group with available literature and brainstorming ideas, the working group co-created two outputs, referred to as: the "Challenges" and the "Key". The Challenges are a list of obstacles to DNA collection management, which shape the structure of the linked Key and can also be used to spark discussion amongst stakeholders. The Key is a tool that guides users through the maturation process of their DNA collection in a standardised way. It stimulates holistic growth, breaks down the needed work into manageable steps and helps to decide priorities during the process. Furthermore, the Key facilitates communication with both internal stakeholders and external DNA collection managers. The Key distinguishes itself from other self-assessment tools in several ways: it includes (re)investigation of the collection’s purpose and context; it is specialised for DNA collections; it delivers concrete goals linked to relevant information and shared experience; and it is inclusive, targeting all Natural Science DNA collections, regardless of their context or size.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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BopCo: an identification service for species of policy concern, and its role in the Belgian speciesid.be consortium
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Monitoring the trade in exotic animal products through DNA barcoding of passenger-imported meat
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The INTERCEPT-project seeks to propose a robust framework for the long-term monitoring of (exotic) animal product imports into Belgium, highlighting the legal and illegal aspects of the trade and its implications for public and animal health. INTERCEPT aims to move towards a centralised database by integrating data from various federal services and agencies to gain a better overview of the trade and to promote the dissemination of crucial information among federal services, agencies, and stakeholders. The project also aims to introduce a secure and efficient sampling method for officials, along with a laboratory species identification pipeline by researchers, which will enable rapid DNA-based identification of illegally imported meat. During the project, meat intercepted from passengers luggage at Brussels Airport is sampled, identified using DNA barcoding and screened for pathogens. At present, 424 specimens have been sampled, of which 315 have been identified so far. About 40% were derived from non-domesticated species, including meat from 10 CITES-listed species. Among the seized wild meat samples, greater cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus) and African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus) were predominant. Six specimens (5%) were misidentified as domestic meat upon seizure, while DNA analyses revealed a wild species. Inversely, twelve specimens (6%) were misidentified as wild meat, while DNA analyses revealed a domestic species. By fostering collaboration among scientific institutions and federal agencies, this initiative aims to inform border control measures, and will support future research into diseases carried by both domestic and exotic meat, allowing better characterisation of the health risks associated with the illegal import of meat from third countries.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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AN ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE OLIGO-MIOCENE CEPHALOPODS OF THE MALTESE ISLANDS
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A systematic checklist of cephalopod fossils (Phylum Mollusca: Class Cephalopoda) recorded from the Oligo-Miocene sedimentary sequence of the Maltese archipelago is given. It consists of species of the nautilid genera Aturia and Eutrephoceras, next to calcified parts of the nautilid animal’s upper jaw placed under the parataxon Rhyncolites, and of sepiid and spirulid coleoid genera Sepia (Sepiida) and Spirulirostra (Spirulirostrida). Cephalopod fossils from the Maltese archipelago, in particular abundant limonitic or phosphoritic specimens of Aturia and Sepia, have been recorded in scientific literature since the middle part of the 19th Century. The identification of several species of Sepia is hampered by lost type material and taphonomic distortion or loss of diagnostic traits.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Description d'une nouvelle espèce du genre Ziglipton Komiya, 2003 de l'île de Palawan, Philippines (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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How does landscape vegetation configuration regulate local channel initiation in a rapidly expanding micro-tidal system?
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Tidal channels are essential morphological structures that mediate hydrological connectivity and maintain coastal resilience. Previous studies on vegetation-induced channel development primarily focused on the stages of initial establishment or later elaboration, characterized by slow and localized changes. However, the impact of rapid shifts in landscape vegetation on the initiation of tidal channels, such as main or tributary channels, remains poorly understood, particularly in micro-tidal system. In this study, we investigated this relationship through satellite imagery analysis and biogeomorphic modeling of a rapidly expanding micro-tidal marsh in the Yellow River Delta, China, which has experienced an invasion by Spartina alterniflora over the past decade. The satellite imagery demonstrated that Spartina alterniflora invasion has increased drainage density and reduced overland flow path length. Our modeling results showed that local flow acceleration between vegetation patches was insufficient to rapidly initiate channels under micro-tidal conditions. As the patchy marsh coalesced and expanded into a contiguously vegetated marsh, it altered landscape-scale flow patterns, diverting from homogenous platform flow to concentrated channel flow. This shift prominently promoted the initiation of tributary channels in the landward marsh zone. The simulated scenarios of vegetation removal highlighted a marked increase in flow divergence from adjacent platforms due to changes in landscape-scale vegetation configuration. This alteration in flow pattern amplified local hydrodynamics, consequently intensifying local channel incision. Our findings emphasize that the channel initiation is significantly influenced by landscape-scale vegetation configuration under micro-tidal conditions, beyond the localized interactions between plants and flow.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2025
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Quadriacanthus (Monogenea, Dactylogyridae) from Catfishes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Description of a New Species from Heterobranchus longifilis (Teleostei, Clariidae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Four new species of the lanternfly genus Zanna Kirkaldy, 1902 from Cambodia and Vietnam (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Fulgoridae)
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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Expanding the swimmer’s itch pool of the Benelux: a first record of the neurotropic Trichobilharzia regenti and potential link to human infection
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
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A note on the predatory hybotid fly genus Crossopalpus from Kerkini National Park in Greece with a key to the species occurring and expected in Greece
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Located in
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
