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FIRST RECORD OF FIVE ANT SPECIES (HYMENOPTERA: FORMICIDAE) FROM RWANDA
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.9074672942
Ant studies conducted in Rwanda have reported a total of 105 ant species. However, this is an underestimation of the total ant richness since Rwanda is in a region rich in biodiversity. To fill the gaps, ants have been sampled in planted forests, coffee plantations, and different other land use types since 2017. Specimens have been collected using pitfall traps and hand collection, digitized, and identified to subfamily, genus, and species level. Results indicated that five ant species were found in Rwanda for the first time. These are Camponotus acvapimensis, Camponotus schoutedeni, Camponotus sericeus, Odontomachus assiniensis and Tetramorium sericeiventre. Specimens are deposited at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science and the Rwanda Ant Collection. We recommend more ant studies focussing on their mode of living. This will result in more ant species newly recorded in the country and possibly new to science.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 15:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceCan habitat characteristics of a West African forest-savanna mosaic landscape model bee community composition?
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.9663534819
Bees are vital to both ecosystems and humans worldwide; supplying a range of key support facilities for the successful breeding of the majority of flowering plants. The aim of this study was to assess the bee species composition in a Sudano-Guinean savanna zone and determining the impact of a set of environmental parameters influencing this species composition in four habitat types. Sampling was carried using yellow pan traps protocol. A total of 846 bees belonging to 3 families, 25 genera and 52 species were collected. The largest number of bee individuals was found in the Apidae family. The most abundant species was Hypotrigona sp. The highest bee species and number of individuals was recorded in the shrubby savanna. Bee species diversity and abundance were found closely correlated with the plant diversity. Gaining a better understanding of the factors influencing bee community dynamics in the given landscape can provide valuable information for conservation efforts, habitat management and help identifying species which ones could be domesticated.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 16:15:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceDiversity and assembly composition of arboreal ants in a west African humid forest-savannah mosaic
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.7682028497
In the tropical forest-savannah mosaic of Lamto Reserve in Ivory Coast ants play an important role in the biodiversity conservation. This work aimed to explore the structure and composition of the arboreal ant assemblages in a forest-savannah mosaic located in central Côte d'Ivoire. Ants were collected by baited trap (Protein bait: tuna and sugar bait: sweet milk) and beating of low vegetation. During the entire sampling campaign, 59 ant species belonging to 18 genera and five subfamilies (Formicinae, Ponerinae, Myrmicinae, Dolichoderinae and Pseudomyrmecinae) were recorded. The mean ant species richness of shrub savannah (SS) was significantly lower than of both forest island (FI) and forest gallery. Likewise, a significant difference was observed for species composition when comparing the arboreal ant communities of SS, gallery forest and FI.No publisherPeer ReviewPDF availableImpact FactorRBINS Collection(s)2024/02/22 16:20:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceDo carabids struggle to recolonize restored grasslands in the fragmented landscapes of Northern Belgium?
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-02-22.3235006146
1. Semi-natural grasslands in Western Europe are degrading and declining. Their plant species diversity and associated fauna, such as arthropods, are decreasing fast making restoration crucial. 2. Carabid beetles are an essential link in ecosystem functioning (e.g., through herbivory and predation) and provide important ecosystem services (e.g., pest control). As a diverse group from different trophic levels, they occupy a variety of ecological niches, making them good indicators of restoration success and habitat quality. 3. To study how different aspects of carabid diversity change along a restoration gradient from degraded grasslands to restored semi-natural Nardus grasslands, we sampled carabid beetles in grasslands in Northern Belgium. We analysed differences in abundance, diversity and community composition and investigated carabid traits potentially influencing carabids’ response to grassland restoration. 4. Species richness did not change along the restoration gradient, but number of individuals decreased as grassland restoration time and effort increased and species composition changed, mostly caused by species turnover. As grassland restoration time and effort increased, carabid body size decreased and the proportion of dayactive carabids increased. Predators and habitat generalists were dominant along the entire gradient. 5. Even though the target vegetation was restored, the carabid communities were not, or at least, did not possess yet traits to be expected from a restored community. The landscape in Northern Belgium might be too fragmented for larger species with low dispersal ability to recolonize restored grasslands. However, restored speciesrich grasslands are beneficial for conservation of meadow birds as day-active beetles thriving in restored grasslands are an important food sourceNo publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableOpen AccessImpact FactorPeer Review2024/02/22 16:30:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceFossil record
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2020/inbookreference.2020-09-18.7114226527
No publisherPeer ReviewInternational Redaction Board2020/09/18 13:45:00 GMT+1Inbook ReferencePreface: Emerging trends in aquatic ecology IV
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.3576095609
Our understanding of aquatic ecology and ecosystem functioning continuously improves. The special issues of Hydrobiologia on “Emerging Trends in Aquatic Ecology” each represent a collection of papers to testify to the variety of approaches and topics that concur in reaching the common aim to scientifcally underpin political and societal decisions to mitigate our impacts on our planet and its biodiversity.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 15:35:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceSix new species of Elpidium Müller, 1880 (Podocopida: Limnocytheridae) from Eastern Brazil
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.6659973041
Elpidium is the most common ostracod genus occurring in phytotelmata in the Neotropical region, with distributions ranging from Florida, USA in the north to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil in the south. However, the genus remains poorly known both in terms of diversity and of the distributional pattern of its species. Here, we describe six new species of Elpidium, E. oxumaen. sp., E. cordiforme n. sp., E. picinguabaensen. sp., E. eriocaularumn. sp., E. higutiaen. sp., E. puriumn. sp., all from phytotelm environments in the Brazilian Atlantic rain forest. In addition, we discuss the distributional pattern and endemicity levels of Elpidium species in the light of these new taxonomic results and argue about possible misunderstandings on the distribution of the type species E. bromeliarum.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 15:45:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceEvidence for Conductivity- and Macroinvertebrate-Driven Segregation of Ostracod Assemblages in Endorheic Depression Wetlands in North West Province of South Africa
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.2645742300
Our knowledge of the ecology of non-marine Ostracoda inhabiting endorheic wetlands (pans) of the semi-arid regions of South Africa is very scarce. The present study investigates the distribution of ostracod species in grass, open, and salt pans in the central part of the North West province and tests ostracod response to abiotic and biotic predictor variables operating at a local scale. Distance-based linear models revealed three variables (pan type, water electrical conductivity and abundance of macroinvertebrate predators, and collector-gatherers) that best explained variation in the ostracod dataset. Ostracod assemblages from the three studied pan types differed by the dominance structure rather than by the species composition. Salt pans with high conductivity and high ratio of predaceous macroinvertebrates were dominated by Heterocypris giesbrechti, with accessory presence of Plesiocypridopsis newtoni. In open pans with low conductivities and the lowest ratio of predators (but highest ratio of collector-gatherers) Potamocypris mastigophora was typically a dominant species, while in grass pans, all the three mentioned species had similar relative abundances. Although our findings lend provisional support to some models of ostracod assemblage diversity across different pan types, more studies replicating endorheic depression wetlands in other regions are required before generalizations can be made.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 15:50:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceOn Caledromus robinsmithi, a new genus and species of Psychrodromini Martens, 2001 (Crustacea, Ostracoda, Herpetocypridinae) from New Caledonia (Pacific Ocean)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.5557774389
The New Caledonian Archipelago is a hot spot for biodiversity and endemism. Whereas popular groups such as birds and plants are well-studied, invertebrate groups such as ostracods remain ill-known. Here, Caledromus robinsmithi gen. et sp. nov. is described from a single locality on ‘Grande Terre’, the main island of the archipelago. The new genus belongs to the Psychrodromini, one of the four tribes in the subfamily Herpetocypridinae (family Cyprididae). Caledromus gen. nov. can be distinguished from all other herpetocypridinids by a combination of the following factors: the absence of marginal septa in both valves, the mildly developed marginal valve structures, the small Rome organ on the A1, the total reduction of the five natatory setae on the A2, the rectangular second palp segment of the Mx1, the broad and asymmetrical palp on the female T1, the absence of additional postlabyrinthal coils in the Hp and the seta Sp of the CR which is a fixed spine. Because of the close similarity to the genus Psychrodromus, the new genus is thought to have Palaearctic affinities, contrary to other ostracod species in New Caledonia, which are either circumtropical or with Australian zoogeographical connections.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 15:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceNatural populations of the putative ancient asexual Darwinula stevensoni (Crustacea, Ostracoda) differ in their microbiomes
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.7871288942
Although ostracods are important components in aquatic ecosystems, little is known about their microbiomes. Here, we analyzed the microbiomes of the putative ancient asexual ostracod species, Darwinula stevensoni, in three natural populations from different freshwater habitats in the UK, Belgium, and Spain. We applied high-throughput amplicon sequencing approaches to analyze the V3–V4 part of the bacterial 16S rRNA region. We tested for host-specific microbiomes by comparing bacterial assemblages of ostracods with those of sediment and water samples from the same locations. Around 2,200 Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) were identified from ostracod samples with universal primers and 1,700 ASVs with endosymbiotic-specific primers, illustrating a high microbiome diversity in D. stevensoni. Most bacterial taxa were unique to the microbiome of D. stevensoni as compared to other freshwater invertebrates and to non-marine ostracods. Alpha diversity of ostracod microbiomes did not differ significantly between the three populations, but PERMANOVA detected significant differences in bacterial compositions. Microbiomes varied highly among ostracod specimens from the same population. Possible factors shaping ostracod microbiomes could be latitude, food, age, and environmental variables. Preliminary functionality analyses showed that Darwinula-specific microbiomes contribute to lipid, carbohydrate, nucleotide, and amino acid metabolic processes and the synthesis of co-factors and vitamins.No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/01/11 15:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceEnvironmental correlates of non-marine ostracod (Crustacea: Ostracoda) assemblages of the Eastern Cape (South Africa)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.0003248858
The present study investigates the ecology and distribution of ostracod species and assemblages from 62 inland waterbodies in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and tests the influence of two major climatic zones (Arid steppe climate BS and Warm temperate humid climate Cf) and two primary catchments (Kowie and Great Fish Rivers), as well as broad gradients of altitude and several local environmental factors. Distance-based linear models were used to test these species-environment relationships and indicated that eight variables (water temperature, pH, conductivity, waterbody size, habitat type, altitude, hydrological-drainage, climate) individually showed significant correlations with the response ostracod dataset of 35 species. However, owing to substantial collinearity, the most parsimonious model identified only two predicting variables (climatic zone and water pH) which best explained variation in ostracod assemblage composition. The assemblages of the two climatic zones differed significantly, with Plesiocypridopsis newtoni and Sarscypridopsis ochracea being most commonly found in the BS climates, while Sarscypridopsis trigonella and Physocypria capensis occurred most frequently in the Cf climates. Finally, tolerance ranges to water pH and electrical conductivity for 21 ostracod species are provided to facilitate application of ostracods in further biodiversity and water-quality assessments, as well as in palaeo-environmental reconstructions.No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2024/01/11 16:05:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceOn a new genus and four new species of the subfamily Cyprettinae (Crustacea, Ostracoda) from Brazilian floodplains
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.5406002252
We describe the new genus Triangocypretta gen. nov. and four new species from Brazilian floodplains. Triangocypretta angustus gen. et spec. nov. and Triangocypretta labiata gen. et spec. nov. were described from the Amazon floodplain only, while Triangocypretta nates gen. et spec. nov. was described from Amazon, Araguaia, and Paraná River floodplains. Triangocypretta hirsuta gen. et spec. nov. was recorded from all four floodplains: Amazon, Araguaia, Pantanal and Paraná. The new genus is characterized by the triangular shape of the carapace in lateral view, the absence of teeth on the posteroventral inner list in the right valve and the presence of anterior marginal septa in both valves, as well as by the relatively short and thin α and β-setae on the mandibular palp. All populations found were asexual. Owing to the clear differences in valve anatomy and limb chaetotaxy as compared to species of Cypretta s.s., the four species were allocated to a new genus in the subfamily Cyprettinae.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 16:15:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceOn a new tribe, genus and species of Cypricercinae McKenzie, 1971 (Crustacea, Ostracoda, Cyprididae) from New Caledonia (Pacific Ocean)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2023/articlereference.2024-01-11.1551595931
The New Caledonian Archipelago is a hot spot for biodiversity and endemism. Here, we describe Lithocypris peyia gen. et spec. nov. Martens, Almeida & Higuti from a single locality (a lithotelma, or rockpool) on “Grande Terre”, the main island of the archipelago. The new genus belongs to the subfamily Cypricercinae and to the new tribe Lithocypridini trib. nov. based on the absence of a groove and anterior inner lists in the left valve, on several aspects of the chaetotaxy, of the prehensile palps and of the hemipenis, and on the fact that the Triebel’s Loop is situated in the dorsal branch of the attachment of the caudal ramus. Lithocypris gen. nov. can further be distinguished from the other genera in the subfamily by a combination of features: carapace elongated in lateral view and narrow in dorsal view, left valve with a weak ventral and posterior inner list only, antennule with both Wouters and Rome organs, maxillula with elongated and rectangular second palp segment and very short sideways directed bristles, first thoracopod with setae a, b and d present and with female palp short and plump, second thoracopod with setae d1 and d2 very short, third thoracopod with seta f missing and Zenker organ with a crown.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessImpact Factor2024/01/11 16:20:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceA Palaeogene cetacean from Maastricht, southern Limburg (The Netherlands)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2019/articlereference.2019-06-24.2121242099
No publisherPeer Review2019/06/24 08:15:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceRevision of some spiriferide and spiriferinide brachiopods from the historical type area of the Tournaisian stage (Carboniferous, southern Belgium)
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2017/articlereference.2018-02-14.4482579696
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact FactorRBINS Collection(s)2018/02/14 16:54:20 GMT+1Article Reference