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Fifteen microsatellite loci for the decollate snail, Rumina decollata.
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We characterized 15 microsatellite loci from the decollate snail, Rumina decollata. Loci were screened in 21 individuals and several individuals of the congener Rumina saharica. There was ample allelic diversity (6–12 alleles per locus) but observed heterozygosity values were extremely low (0–0.421). This was expected given the high self-fertilization rate in this species. Ten of the 15 loci were successfully amplified in R. saharica. These loci provide tools for examining the population genetics and taxomomic boundaries in R. decollata and its allies.
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Harpacticoid copepod colonization of coral fragments in a tropical reef lagoon (Zanzibar, Tanzania)
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Colonization experiments were conducted in a tropical lagoon (Zanzibar Island, off the coast of Tanzania) to investigate the temporal dynamics and mode of colonization of the harpacticoid copepods community on dead coral fragments. There was fast colonization of the coral fragments attaining a substantial diversity after only two days. The ability to colonize dead coral fragments is thought to be related to the morphology and life style of different harpacticoid species. Phytal taxa (e.g. Tisbidae) were fast colonizers, reaching high abundances during the initial colonization phase. Sediment-associated and eurytopic taxa (e.g. Ameiridae, Miraciidae and Ectinosomatidae) showed lower colonization rates and became the dominant group during the later colonization phase. Most species are able to colonize the coral fragments through the water column. However, colonization along the substrate surface is also considered to be an important colonization mode, especially for sediment-associated taxa, which showed lower colonization rates when migration through the sediment was hindered.
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Dispersal and gene flow in free-living marine nematodes
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Identifying insects with incomplete DNA barcode libraries, African fruit flies (Diptera: Tephritidae) as a test case.
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Darwininitium – a new fully pseudosigmurethrous orthuretran genus from Nepal (Gastropoda, Pulmonata, Cerastidae)
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Redéfinition des unités structurales du front varisque utilisées dans le cadre de la nouvelle Carte géologique de Wallonie (Belgique).
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The new geological map of Wallonia permits to obtain a more global view of the tectonic organization of the Palaeozoic terrains around the Variscan Front in southern Belgium. This zone oriented WSW-ENE and passing south of an axis Charleroi-Namur, was firstly highlighted by the coal mining works, but has been significantly documented notably through deep boreholes and seismic profiles. A coherent structural sketch of the Variscan Front is proposed for its entire longitudinal course, where the following structural units are distinguished, from north to south: the Brabant Massif and the base of the cover unaffected by the Variscan orogeny, the Brabant Parautochthon, the Haine-Sambre-Meuse Overturned Thrust sheets (HSM-OTS) and the Ardenne Allochthon. Undeformed terrains during Variscan event constitute the northern border of the Variscan Front. The Brabant Parautochthon includes Devono-Carboniferous terrains, which are folded and faulted. The HSM-OTS are formed by the superposition of several sheets (e.g. La Tombe sheet), which are supported by various thrust faults (e.g. Masse fault). The Ardenne Allochthon, which has been displaced during the Variscan orogeny, rests on the Brabant Parautochthon and the HSM-OTS through a faulted zone, which is locally known as the Midi Fault.
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Woody climbing plants influence the structure of the mountain forest in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park, DR Congo
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In the mountain forests of the Kahuzi-Biega National Park (KBNP), in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Sericostachys scandens, a woody climbing plant in the Amaranthaceae family, is expanding, trees appear to be negatively affected by this liana. In order to contribute to the understanding of the links between the expansion of the liana and the decline of its hosts, we compared the density and the species richness of the trees of dbh (diameter at breast height) ≥5 cm from the plots invaded by S. scandens with those from parcels that are still free from the invasion. The results of the paired unilateral t test applied to the overall sample showed that the tree density is very low in the plots dominated by the liana (p < 0.01), but that species richness is not affected (p > 0.05). In the class with diameter [10–30 cm], the lowest density of trees corresponds to the plots colonized by S. scandens, compared to the places where the liana is not abundant (p < 0.01). Further, the density of trees is significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the classes with diameters [5–10 cm] and ≥30 cm, in plots dominated by S. scandens. In conclusion, the emergence of the liana S. scandens has a negative effect on the density of the trees in the mountain forest of the KBNP. Résumé Dans les forêts de montagne du Parc National Kahuzi-Biega (PNKB), en République Démocratique du Congo, où Sericostachys scandens, plante ligneuse grimpante de la famille des Amaranthaceae, est en plein essor, son feuillage dense encombre les arbres et les étouffe. En vue de contribuer à élucider les liens entre l’expansion de cette liane et le déclin de ses hôtes, la densité et la richesse spécifique des arbres ayant un dbh («diameter at breast height», c’est –à –dire le diamètre mesuré à 1, 30 m au-dessus du sol) ≥5 cm des parcelles envahies par S. scandens ont été comparées à celles des endroits qui ne le sont pas. Le résultat du test t unilatéral par paires appliqué à l’échantillon global a montré que la densité des arbres est très basse dans les parcelles dominées par la liane (p < 0.01), mais qu’il n’y a pas d’effet sur la richesse spécifique (p > 0.05). Dans la classe de diamètre [10–30 cm[, une densité plus faible a été trouvée dans les parcelles colonisées par la liane par rapport à celles où elle n’abonde pas (p < 0.01). En plus, la densité des arbres est significativement basse (p < 0.05) dans les classes de diamètres [5–10 cm[et ≥30 cm dans les parcelles dominées par la liane. L’expansion de la liane S. scandens a donc un effet négatif sur la densité des arbres en forêt de montagne au PNKB.
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An integrative approach to characterize cryptic species in the Thoracostoma trachygaster Hope, 1967 complex (Nematoda: Leptosomatidae)
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New archaeozoological evidence for the introduction of the guinea pig to Europe
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The remains are described of a guinea pig dated to the end of the 16th - beginning of the 17th c. AD. The animal was discovered at a site in Mons, Belgium, and is the first European archaeozoological find dated with certainty on the basis of both the archaeological context and a radiocarbon dating of its bone. This find confirms that the guinea pig was introduced to Europe soon after the conquest of South America. The morphological and metrical analyses performed on the skeletal remains are in agreement with the iconographic and literary sources indicating the domestic status of the animals imported to Europe. While a previous discovery in England suggested that the guinea pig was a prestigious animal, the present study argues that it was accessible to several classes of the population which may be related to the rapid spread of this prolific animal after its introduction in Europe.
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Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis of freshwater, brackish and marine fish from Belgian archaeological sites (1st and 2nd millennium AD)
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Carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios were measured in 157 fish bone collagen samples from 15 different archaeological sites in Belgium which ranged in ages from the 3rd to the 18th c. AD. Due to diagenetic contamination of the burial environment, only 63 specimens produced results with suitable C:N ratios (2.9-3.6). The selected bones encompass a wide spectrum of freshwater, brackish, and marine taxa (N = 18), and this is reflected in the d13C results (-28.2‰ to -12.9‰). The freshwater fish have d13C values that range from -28.2‰ to -20.2‰, while the marine fish cluster between -15.4‰ to -13.0‰. Eel, a catadromous species (mostly living in freshwater but migrating into the sea to spawn), plots between -24.1‰ to -17.7‰, and the anadromous fish (living in marine environments but migrating into freshwater to spawn) show a mix of freshwater and marine isotopic signatures. The d15N results also have a large range (7.2‰ to 16.7‰) indicating that these fish were feeding at many different trophic levels in these diverse aquatic environments. The aim of this research is the isotopic characterization of archaeological fish species (ecology, trophic level, migration patterns) and to determine intra-species variation within and between fish populations differing in time and location. Due to the previous lack of archaeological fish isotope data from Northern Europe and Belgium in particular, these results serve as an important ecological backdrop for the future isotopic reconstruction of the diet of human populations dating from the historical period (1st and 2nd millennium AD), where there is zooarchaeological and historical evidence for an increased consumption of marine fish.
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