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Inproceedings Reference A new Late Devonian Dunkleosteus from Lompret, southern Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference The potential of high-resolution stable isotope records in the bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni's shells to investigate Pliocene seasonality
Obtaining temperature data from the mid-Piacenzian warm period (mPWP) is a key factor in understanding the coming changes brought upon by anthropogenic climate change. The mPWP, a high-CO2 world with a paleogeography similar to modern times, has been used to validate and improve model retrodictions, which in turn enables assessing the prediction strength of these models1. For the first time, stable isotope analysis has been applied to the extinct tellinid bivalve Angulus benedeni benedeni, originating from the mid-Piacenzian of the Lillo Formation of Belgium in the southern North Sea basin. Multi-annual oxygen isotope records with a seasonal resolution obtained from its shell indicate that this species could live for up to a decade and formed monthly growth increments. From this oxygen isotope record, a clumped-isotope-based mean annual temperature of 12.6 ± 3.6°C was reconstructed. This is 2.1°C warmer than today2,3, 2.6°C warmer than the pre-industrial North Sea2, and in line with global Pliocene temperature estimates of +2-4°C compared to the pre-industrial climate4,5. The pristine nature of the aragonitic shell material was verified through electron backscatter diffraction analysis (EBSD), and backed up by light microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray fluorescence. The various microstructures as obtained from the EBSD maps have been described, and they provide a template of pristine A. benedeni benedeni material to which potentially altered shells may be compared. The bivalve A. benedeni benedeni is suitable for high resolution isotope-based paleoclimatic reconstruction and it can be used to unravel the marine conditions in the Pliocene North Sea basin at a seasonal scale, yielding enhanced insight into imminent western European climate conditions.1Dowsett, H. J. et al. Assessing confidence in Pliocene sea surface temperatures to evaluate predictive models. Nature Climate Change 2, 365-371 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1038/NCLIMATE1455 2Emeis, K.-C. et al. The North Sea — A shelf sea in the Anthropocene. Journal of Marine Systems 141, 18-33 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2014.03.012 3Locarnini, R. A. et al. World Ocean Atlas 2018, Volume 1: Temperature. NOAA Atlas NESDIS 81. A. Mishonov, Technical Editor. 52pp. (2019). https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/world-ocean-atlas-2018/ 4Dowsett, H. J. et al. Sea surface temperature of the mid-Piacenzian ocean: a data-model comparison. Scientific reports 3, 1-8 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/srep02013 5Haywood, A. M. et al. The Pliocene Model Intercomparison Project Phase 2: large-scale climate features and climate sensitivity. Clim. Past 16, 2095-2123 (2020). https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-2095-2020
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference The non-marine Pliocene units in the Belgian Campine and the Roer Valley Graben
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference Upper Oligocene lithostratigraphic units and the transition to the Miocene in Belgium: can we bring the Dutch, Belgian and German practice in line by using a common nomenclature20?
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Unpublished Reference CROW: Visualize bird migration in your browser
Every spring and autumn, millions of birds migrate over Europe. They mainly do this at high altitudes and at night, making this phenomenon largely invisible to us. But not for weather radars! We developed the open source web application “CROW” so you can explore these data directly in your browser. CROW pulls vertical profile data (vpts) from a public repository, calculates migration traffic rate (MTR), bird density and other variables, and visualizes these as interactive charts. The application can be hosted on a static file server and only visualizes data from one radar at a time, making it highly portable and scalable. CROW was jointly developed by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO) and the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI) in collaboration with the Royal Belgian Institute for Natural Sciences (RBINS), with financial support from the Belgian Science Policy Office (BelSPO valorisation project CROW). It is deployed at https://www.meteo.be/birddetection to show bird migration in real time across the Benelux. We are planning to deploy it for data in the ENRAM data repository (https://enram.github.io/data-repository/) as well.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference Variation in space and time of ant distribution among ground layers in an ecuadorian premontane forest
Nearly half of the ant species present in a tropical forest are directly in contact with the ground for nesting or foraging, with evidence of vertical stratification among ground layers (i.e., surface, litter, and soil). How ants in each layer respond to environmental factors and to seasonality remains little studied. We hypothesized that ant species distribution varied spatially and seasonally among the three ground layers and that their distribution was distinctly affected by various abiotic and biotic factors. The ant distribution was analysed spatio-temporally: vertically (between the ground surface, leaf-litter, and mineral soil, using pitfalls, Winkler, and soil cores), horizontally (every meter along a 100 m transect) and seasonally (between the dry and the rainy seasons). Four environmental parameters were measured every meter along the transect: canopy openness, slope, leaf-litter volume and soil properties. Our results showed a clear vertical stratification, with distinct faunal composition in each layer and a strong seasonal effect. Stable distribution of several dominant species between seasons suggests a low nest relocation rate. During the dry season, higher ant richness and abundance were found in pitfall traps suggesting higher activity on the surface of the forest floor. Similarly, higher ant richness and abundance found in the soil during the dry season suggest the migration of drought-sensitive species downwards deeper into the soil. Species richness and dominant species distribution were related to distinct factors according to the layer considered; we found strong correlations between the quantity of leaf-litter and dominant ant species distribution and species richness in the leaf-litter layer, while no correlation was found with any factor in the soil layer. While soil properties influenced the ant distribution at the kilometer scale they had little influence at the meter scale.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2018
Inproceedings Reference Reaching for new heights: canopy laser scanning in the Peruvian Amazon
Large trees are vital for the functioning of tropical forests. They house a wide range of organisms, making them true biodiversity hotspots and play a key role in forest biomass storage.The Life On Trees (LOT) project is a research program in which all eukaryotic organisms on individual trees are surveyed, including plants, fungi, animals and protists. One of the goals of the research program is to explore the link between the distribution of the occurring organisms and the tree architecture of those large trees. To accurately quantify the structure of such trees and investigate the interplay between the tree and its surroundings, terrestrial laser scanning is currently used as a state-of-the-art technology. Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) generally uses a laser scanner to scan trees from multiple viewpoints from the ground. In dense tropical forests, the tree canopy often reaches a height of 50 m or more. Due to the large distance between the scanner and the tree crown, even the best laser scanners have difficulty getting a clear view of the top of the canopy. For those large, colossal trees, data is limited and suffers a lot of occlusion. Since all scans are taken from the ground, data on the upperpart of branches is nonexistent. To assess this limitation of TLS, we explore how much additional 3D information is gained from the tree structure by collecting 3D scans inside the tree crown. With the aid of professional climbers, we lifted a RIEGL vz-400 laser scanner into a Dussia tree in Rio Abiseo National park located in the Peruvian Amazon. The selected tree is quite spectacular, it reaches a height of 50 m and a width of 45 m, and is covered with vegetation including many orchids and epiphytes hosting a wide variety of life forms. The first results of this project will be presented, focusing on the tree architecture with its impressive volume and branch length, and the benefits and challenges of scanning inside the tree crown.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference Biodiversity of eukaryotes in large tropical trees: the Life On Trees (LOT) program
Introduction: Basic data on biodiversity, such as the variety of life forms coexisting on a single tree, are still lacking and prevent a full understanding of the complexity of interactions among organisms in a tropical rainforest. Filling this gap has recently become more achievable thanks to advances in canopy access methods and genetic tools. Objective: The main aims of the research program Life On Trees (LOT) are to generate baseline knowledge about the number of species a single tropical tree can support and to understand how these communities of organisms are assembled. Methods: Our first project is performed in one of the most biologically diverse regions: the Peruvian Amazon, in the Rio Abiseo National Park. We focus our sampling on a spectacular Dussia tree (Fabaceae), which is 50 m high and 45 m wide and covered with epiphytes. For safety reasons, the sampling is carried out by professional climbers, guided by experts of the different eukaryotic groups studied (plants, fungi, animals, protists). In order to better understand the contribution of different tree components (bark, leaves, fruits, flowers, dead wood) to overall tree biodiversity, we assign observations into communities based on height zone or microhabitat and examine similarities and nestedness in the composition of these communities. The complex architecture of the tree is studied using terrestrial LiDAR and the location of samples is recorded using a high precision differential GPS receiver (dGNSS). The collected specimens will be determined by classical taxonomy and genetic methods (DNA metabarcoding). An online tracking system for those specimens sent to taxonomists for identification, as well as a central database system, are already under development. Results: The first results of the LOT-Peru project from April-May 2022 and of the preliminary tests conducted in October 2021 will be presented. Implications: The scope of this program is not only scientific. Using the simple example of a large tree, we can reach out to the public and explain difficult concepts, such as what biodiversity is and how it is generated and sustained. In addition, the tree is a strong symbol that has an emotional impact. We hope that this program will build awareness about the impacts of deforestation, and conversely the value of conservation, by showing foresters, city dwellers or villagers that when a tree is cut down, a whole range of biodiversity disappears.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Inproceedings Reference Colourful rivers: archaeobotanical remains of dye plants from fluvial deposits in late medieval towns in Belgium
During the late medieval period, the southern low countries were among the most densely urbanised areas in Europe. The towns owned part of their growth and prosperity to the flourishing cloth industry, in which dyestuffs played an essential role. Throughout this period dye plants were intensively cultivated, traded on a large scale, and widely used by specialised craftsman organised in guilds. Due to the need for constant water supply and wastewater discharge, dyeing activities were often concentrated in the proximity of rivers. Although dyeing practices are well documented in late medieval historical sources, material evidence remains scarce. The aim of this presentation is to describe and discuss archaeobotanical finds of dye plants, recently found in urban fluvial deposits from Brussels and to put these in perspective with finds from other towns in the area. In 2019 a large excavation in the city centre of Brussels revealed the remains of the late medieval port. Besides the discovery of impressive quay walls, meters thick excellently preserved fluvial deposits were excavated and extensively sampled. One of the most remarkable characteristics of the macrobotanical assemblages dating from the 13th to the 15th century is the presence of numerous weld (Reseda luteola) seeds and madder (Rubia tinctoria) root fragments, found in nearly all studied samples. Several samples also contained woad (Isatis tinctoria) pod fragments. These three species are considered as the most important medieval dye plants in the region. Additionally, fruits and flower head fragments of fuller's teasel (Dipsacus sativus) were observed in most samples. Most likely all these plant remains must be interpreted as waste from textile working, discarded in the urban waters.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2022
Article Reference Combined High-Throughput Imaging and Sequencing: Addressing the collections on demand requirement in SYNTHESYS+ project
Imagine you are a scientist, working on collections. You have your pet taxon and you need information which is distributed in a number of books and publications but also in the specimens deposited in$~$Museums or Herbaria. Instead of paying visits to these establishments, around the world, you wish there was a means to transform all the information you need into a digitized form of the physical objects, you can reach from the screen of your laptop, tablet or cell phone. You dream you were able to watch, inspect and even dissect the type material you need online but also to compare it with others they way sequences are blasted against large databases, these days. You plan to make global research on this taxon and try to derive patterns from both the molecular and organismal level of the biological organization and to link the patterns resulting to the drivers of change for this taxon.$~$This is the vision of the Virtual Museum of Natural History and one of the ways to achieve this vision is to address the “collections on demand” requirement. One of the possible means to address this requirement is the digitization through the use of the micro-ct technology. The micro-CT virtual laboratory (vLab), developed by LifeWatchGreece research infrastructure (RI), makes it possible the online exploration and dissemination of micro-CT datasets, which are only rarely made available to the public due to their large size and a lack of dedicated online platforms for the interactive manipulation of 3D data. This presentation shows the development of such a “collections on demand” function, implemented by the SYNTHESYS+ project (DiSSCo RI), which combines such high-throughput technologies, that is micro-ct and genomics, to address the scientific communityʼs requirements. We show that this approach to combine patterns deriving from the application of novel techniques, which represent different kinds of observations is possible and we propose certain case studies as examples. The innovation aspects of this function include: Expansion and development of cost models for Collections on Demand; Development of standards and guidelines for exchange of collection-derived imaging data; Construction of new data pipelines and standard workflows, enabling access to complex digital content such as 3D scans; Development of novel molecular lab protocols, workflows and informatics pipelines, to enable large scale; DNA sequencing of NH collections.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2019