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Virtual reconstruction of the skull of Bernissartia fagesii and current understanding of the neosuchian–eusuchian transition
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2020/articlereference.2020-06-26.1656722958
Since the description of Isisfordia duncani, a number of new extinct species and revisions of previously described species have prompted a variety of contradicting phylogenetic hypotheses on the topology of Neosuchia. As a consequence, a consensus on the rooting of Eusuchia in relation to other neosuchian clades has not been reached and the origin of the group remains unsettled. Exemplifying this, Bernissartia fagesii, from the Early Cretaceous of Belgium, has long been considered a key taxon for understanding the origin of Eusuchia, but more recent hypotheses found support for a more basal position, as an ally to goniopholidids, paralligatorids or atoposaurids. Because many details of the anatomy of the type specimen are hidden by glue and the sediment adhering to the fossils, a number of characters are pending confirmation. Based on computed tomography data, we extract bones of the cranium and mandibles, describe new characters and re-evaluate anatomical details in the lectotype specimen. Our phylogenetic analysis confirms that B. fagesii is a derived neosuchian, unrelated to atoposaurids, goniopholidids and paralligatorids. We recover B. fagesii and Koumpiodontosuchus aprosdokiti in a basal position within Eusuchia, together with Susisuchidae, a group of gondwanan neosuchians containing Susisuchus and Isisfordia, which here form a polytomy with Hylaeochampsidae. The presence/absence of pterygoid-bound internal choanae cannot be used to fully resolve relationships at the neosuchian–eusuchian transition because of the variability of this character even at the familial level, as recently reported within susisuchids and bernissartiids. There is no doubt that true eusuchians were present in Laurasia as early as the Early Cretaceous, the hylaeochampsid Hylaeochampsa vectiana being the oldest (Barremian) undoubted representative. But whether the Eusuchia were also present in southern landmasses depends on solving the phylogenetic position of susisuchids and other less known gondwanan forms within or outside Eusuchia.No publisherPeer ReviewInternational Redaction BoardImpact FactorRBINS Collection(s)2020/06/26 09:30:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceVirtual reconstruction of the Neandertal lower limbs with an estimation of hamstring muscle moment arms
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications/articlereference.2012-12-30.9762280004
A major problem of fossil hominid analysis is a lack of complete specimens. Many individual specimens have been damaged by the effects of diagenesis and excavation. Significant advances in the field of three dimensional image processing (3D) have enabled the creation of accurately scaled reconstructions of individual fossil bones using mirrored parts of the same fossil bone or human/fossil hominid equivalents. This study presents, for the first time, a method to reconstruct a 3D virtual model of the lower limb of the Neandertal using different bones from different fossil remains (Spy II, Neandertal 1 and Kebara 2) and integrating them into a single model of the Neandertal lower limb. A biomechanical analysis of the model was performed, including computer graphics visualization of the results, motion displacement graphs and muscle moment arms. The overall method has been implemented into an open-source customized software (lhpFusionBox) developed for the biomechanical study of the musculoskeletal system.No publisherPeer ReviewImpact FactorInternational Redaction BoardRBINS Collection(s)2013/02/01 09:47:15 GMT+1Article ReferenceViroinval/Treignes : campagne de fouilles 2020 à la grotte Genvier.
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2021/articlereference.2023-01-20.9350103740
Imprimé avril 2022, AWaPNo publisherPeer ReviewOpen Access2023/01/20 16:40:58 GMT+1Article ReferenceVillers-le-Bouillet/Villers-le-Bouillet : une occupation rurale du Haut Moyen Âge au lieu-dit « A Lohincou » : premiers résultats archéobotaniques.
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications/inproceedingsreference.2016-01-18.3564779531
No publisherPeer ReviewOpen Access2016/01/18 14:25:00 GMT+1Inproceedings ReferenceVestiges d’un habitat du second âge du Fer à Verlaine « Plantation Buttiens » (prov. De Liège, Belgique).
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2018/articlereference.2018-12-19.2668973844
No publisherPeer Review2018/12/19 10:42:15 GMT+1Article ReferenceVestibular sensitivity and locomotor behavior in early paleocene mammals
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2022-oa/inproceedingsreference.2023-01-02.9583859893
The end-Cretaceous extinction triggered the collapse of ecosystems and a drastic turnover of mammalian communities. During the Mesozoic, mammals were ecologically diverse, but less than extant species. Modern ecological richness was established by the Eocene, but questions remain about the ecology of the first wave of mammals radiating after the extinction. Postcranial fossils are often used to determine locomotor behavior; however, the semicircular canals of the inner ear also represent a reliable proxy. These canals detect the angular acceleration of the head during locomotion and transmit neuronal signals to the brain to allow stabilization of the eyes and head. Accordingly, vestibular sensitivity to rapid rotational head movements is higher in species with a larger canal radius of curvature and more orthogonal canals. We used high-resolution computed tomography scanning to obtain inner ear virtual endocasts for 30 specimens. We supplemented these with data from the literature to construct a database of 79 fossils from the Jurassic to the Eocene and 262 extant mammals. We compared data on canal morphology and another lifestyle proxy, the size of the petrosal lobules, which have a role in maintaining eyes’ movements and position. We find that Paleocene mammals exhibited a lower average and more constricted range of Agility Indices (AI), a new measure of canal radius size relative to body size, compared to Mesozoic, Eocene and extant taxa. In the early Paleocene, body mass and canal radius increased, but the former outpaced the latter leading to an AI decline. Similarly, their petrosal lobules were relatively smaller on average compared to other temporal groups, which suggests less ability for fast movements. Additionally, Paleocene mammals had similar AIs to extant scansorial and terrestrial quadrupeds. In contrast, the lack of canal orthogonality change from the Mesozoic to the Paleocene indicates no trend toward lower vestibular sensitivity regardless of changes in body size. This result may reflect functional differences between canal orthogonality and radius size. Our results support previous work on tarsal morphology and locomotor behavior ancestral state reconstruction suggesting that ground dwelling mammals were more common than arboreal taxa during the Paleocene. Ultimately, this pattern may indicate that the collapse of forested environments immediately after extinction led to the preferential survivorship of more terrestrially adapted mammals. Funding Sources Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions: IF, European Research Council StG, National Science Foundation, Belgian Science Policy Office, DMNS No Walls Community Initiative.No publisherRBINS Collection(s)PDF availableProceedingsImpact FactorAbstract of an Oral Presentation or a PosterPeer ReviewInternational Redaction Board2023/01/02 15:30:00 GMT+1Inproceedings ReferenceVertical stratification of the termite assemblage in a neotropical rainforest
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications/16
No publisherPeer ReviewInternational Redaction BoardImpact Factor2013/07/30 12:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceVertical stratification of termites in a Panamanian rainforest
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications/105
No publisherPeer ReviewInternational Redaction BoardAbstract of an Oral Presentation or a Poster2013/07/30 12:55:00 GMT+1Misc ReferenceVertical distribution of termites in a Panamanian rainforest
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications/117
No publisherPeer ReviewInternational Redaction BoardAbstract of an Oral Presentation or a Poster2013/07/30 12:55:00 GMT+1Misc ReferenceVertical and lateral distribution of Foraminifera and Ostracoda in the East Frisian Wadden Sea – developing a transfer func-tion for relative sea-level change.
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2019/articlereference.2020-03-05.1070196006
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2020/03/05 14:51:47 GMT+1Article ReferenceVertebrate predation in the Late Devonian evidenced by bite traces and regurgitations: implications for an early tetrapod freshwater ecosystem
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2022/articlereference.2023-03-01.0036679896
The terrestrialization process by vertebrates occurred during the Devonian period, with fully land-dwelling tetrapods recorded in the Carboniferous. Thus, the Late Devonian is an important period for deciphering the ecological pressures that applied during the water-to-land transition. Higher predation pressures in the underwater environment have been suggested as an influential biotic evolutionary factor in this key habitat shift. Direct evidence of ancient predation on Palaeozoic vertebrates is seen in the form of rare traces preserved on fossils, and these range from trauma observed on the skeleton (such as attack marks) to ingested food remains (bromalites). The late Famennian freshwater ecosystem of Strud (Belgium) consists of a rich assemblage of many coeval gnathostomes or jawed fishes (placoderms, ‘acanthodians’, actinopterygians, and various sarcopterygian groups including tetrapods). Here we analyse the record of direct evidence for predation in the Strud vertebrate fossil assemblage. We recognize 12 regurgitalites and 13 bite traces, including a rare case of a tooth embedded in its original prey body target. Fossils from regurgitalites were imaged using scanning electron microscopy and chemically analysed to test for their possible ingestion signature by comparison with other isolated skeletal remains from the same locality. From this evidence, tristichopterid tetrapodomorphs are inferred to be the highest consumers of the trophic network, targeting small placoderms, and porolepiforms, and probably congeners. We observe two possible prey patterns in regurgitalites, for sarcopterygians and actinopterygians, both of which are associated with acanthodians. In Strud, no trophic position can be deduced for tetrapods from direct fossil evidence of predation.No publisherPeer ReviewImpact FactorRBINS Collection(s)2023/03/02 16:24:04 GMT+1Article ReferenceVerschillen tussen "museumgeologen" en "vrije geologen" - Différences entre les "géologues de musée" et les "géologues libres"
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2022/inbookreference.2022-12-08.4930582444
No publisherRBINS Publication(s)Peer ReviewPopular Science2022/12/08 11:05:00 GMT+1Inbook ReferenceVegetation controls on channel network complexity in coastal wetlands
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2024/vandeVijsel-2023-NC
Channel networks are key to coastal wetland functioning and resilience under climate change. Vegetation affects sediment and hydrodynamics in many different ways, which calls for a coherent framework to explain how vegetation shapes channel network geometry and functioning. Here, we introduce an idealized model that shows how coastal wetland vegetation creates more complexly branching networks by increasing the ratio of channel incision versus topographic diffusion rates, thereby amplifying the channelization feedback that recursively incises finer-scale side-channels. This complexification trend qualitatively agrees with and provides an explanation for field data presented here as well as in earlier studies. Moreover, our model demonstrates that a stronger biogeomorphic feedback leads to higher and more densely vegetated marsh platforms and more extensive drainage networks. These findings may inspire future field research by raising the hypothesis that vegetation-induced self-organization enhances the storm surge buffering capacity of coastal wetlands and their resilience under sea-level rise.No publisherPeer ReviewOpen AccessPDF available2024/03/26 18:55:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceVariation that can be expected when using particle tracking models in connectivity studies
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2017/articlereference.Hufnagl.2017.JSR
No publisherPeer ReviewImpact Factor2017/12/21 15:45:00 GMT+1Article ReferenceVariation in space and time of ant distribution among ground layers in an ecuadorian premontane forest
https://biblio.naturalsciences.be/library-1/rbins-staff-publications-2018/346
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.No publisherPeer ReviewAbstract of an Oral Presentation or a Poster2023/03/02 14:10:58 GMT+1Inproceedings Reference