Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Offshore Wind Farm Footprint on Organic and Mineral Particle Flux to the Bottom.
- Offshore wind farms (OWFs) are an important source of renewable energy accounting for 2.3% of the European Union’s electricity demand. Yet their impact on the environment needs to be assessed. Here, we couple a hydrodynamic (including tides and waves) and sediment transport model with a description of the organic carbon and mineral particle dynamics in the water column and sediments. The model is applied to the Belgian Coastal Zone (BCZ) where OWFs currently occupy 7% of its surface area which is estimated to double in the next 5 years. The impact of OWFs on the environment is represented through the filtration of the water column and fecal pellets production by the blue mussel, the dominant fouling organism. Our model simulations show that the impact of biodeposition on the mud particle sedimentation and on sediment composition is small compared to the fluxes associated with tidal deposition and resuspension and the lateral inputs. In contrast, the total organic carbon (TOC) flux to the sediment is significantly altered inside the OWF perimeters and TOC deposition is increased up to 50% in an area 5 km around the monopiles. Further away, the TOC flux to the bottom decreases with a notable effect up to 30 km away. The major changes are found along the direction of the main residual current and tidal ellipse’s major axis. In addition, sub-mesoscale gyres act as retention areas with increased carbon deposition. A future OWF in the BCZ will be located close to gravel beds in a Natura 2000 area, considered as vulnerable habitats and biodiversity hotspots. The different scenarios for this OWF, varying in turbine number and positioning, are compared in terms of impact on the carbon and mineral particle deposition flux in the BCZ and, particularly, to these gravel beds. The scenarios show that the number of turbines has only a slight impact on the TOC deposition flux, unlike their positioning that significantly alters the TOC flux to the gravel beds. The TOC deposition flux exceeds 50%, when the turbines are placed next to the gravel beds; while a limited increase is simulated, when the turbines are located the farthest possible from them.
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Offshore wind farms and the attraction–production hypothesis: insights from a combination of stomach content and stable isotope analyses
- Offshore wind farms (OWFs) act as arti- ficial reefs, attracting high abundances of fish, which could potentially increase their local production. This study investigates the feeding ecology of fish species that abundantly occur at artificial habitats, such as OWFs, by examining the short- and the long-term dietary composition of five species: the benthopelagic Gadus morhua and Trisopterus luscus, the pelagic Scomber scombrus and Trachurus trachurus, and the benthic Myoxocephalus scorpioides. We conducted combined stomach content and stable isotope analyses to examine the short- and the time-integrated dietary composition, respectively. Our results indicated that benthopelagic and benthic species utilize artificial reefs, such as OWFs, as feeding grounds for a prolonged period, since both analyses indicated that they exploit fouling organisms occurring exclusively on artificial hard substrates. Trachurus trachurus only occasionally uses artificial reefs as oases of highly abundant resources. Scomber scombrus does not feed on fouling fauna and therefore its augmented presence in OWFs is probably related to reasons other than the enhanced food availability. The long-termed feeding preferences of benthic and benthopelagic species contribute to the hypothesis that the artificial reefs of OWFs could potentially increase the fish production in the area. However, this was not supported for the pelagic species.
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WinMon.BE, Using a decade of WinMon.BE results to plan for the future
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Should we value biofouling communities?
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ROBOMINERS: changing the ground rules
- Nowadays we are faced with several challenges regarding mineral exploration and exploitation in Europe. The biggest accessible deposits have already been discovered and exploited, with some of those mines dating back of thousands of years. What remains now are the small and difficult to access deposits, leading to the needs of new and more sustainable mining methods. In the last years several projects like ROBOMINERS were started with the expectation to have relevant impact in social, technological, environmental and economical areas and aiming to help in (i) reducing EU dependency on import of raw materials, (ii) pushing the EU to the forefront in sustainable minerals surveying and exploration technologies and to (iii) improve resource efficiency and responsible sourcing. The main objective of the ROBOMINERS project is to develop a Bio-Inspired, Modular and Reconfigurable Robot Miner, equipped with selective mining perception and mining tools for small and difficult to access deposits. A consortium that includes geoscientists, roboticists and engineers is working to build a modular robot prototype (Technology Readiness Level 4 to 5), design a new mining system via simulation and modelling and to use the prototype to study and advance future research on different areas of robotics and raw materials alike (Lopez and al. 2020). ROBOMINERS will not reach its end-state by the end of the project. Therefore, it already prepares future development with visions for 2030 and 2050, coinciding with important EU targets (2030: reduce GHG emissions, more renewable energy; 2050: climate neutrality). These visions will impact the developments of robotics, selective mining and mining ecosystem. The considered methods and tools, although innovative at this point, will be continuously assessed, and compared to new technology developments in the relevant fields. The ROBOMINERS project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 820971. References. L. Lopes, B. Bodo, C. Rossi, S. Henley, G. Žibret, A. Kot-Niewiadomska, V. Correia, ROBOMINERS – Developing a bio-inspired modular robot-miner for difficult to access mineral deposits, Advances in Geosciences, Volume 54, 2020, 99–108
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Assessment van zaden en vruchten: Herentals - Noorderwijksebaan, Westmalle - Antwerpsesteenweg, Aalst - Nieuwstraat 38
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Fish exploitation at Meninx
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Mind the gap! Integrating taxonomic approaches to assess ant diversity at the southern extreme of the Atlantic Forest
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Litter-dwelling ants as bioindicators to gauge the sustainability of small arboreal monocultures embedded in the Amazonian rainforest
- One of the greatest threats to biodiversity and the sustainable functioning of ecosystems is the clearing of forests for agriculture. Because litter-dwelling ants are very good bioindicators of man-made disturbance, we used them to compare monospecific plantations of acacia trees, cocoa trees, rubber trees and pine trees with the surrounding Neotropical rainforest (in contrast to previous studies on forest fragments embedded in industrial monocultures). Although the global level of species turnover was weak, species richness decreased along a gradient from the forest (including a treefall gap) to the tree plantations among which the highest number of species was noted for the cocoa trees, which are known to be a good compromise between agriculture and conservation. Species composition was significantly different between natural habitats and the plantations that, in turn, were different from each other. Compared to the forest, alterations in the ant communities were (1) highest for the acacia and rubber trees, (2) intermediate for the cocoa trees, and, (3) surprisingly, far lower for the pine trees, likely due to very abundant litter. Functional traits only separated the rubber tree plantation from the other habitats due to the higher presence of exotic and leaf-cutting ants. This study shows that small monospecific stands are likely sustainable when embedded in the rainforest and that environmentally-friendly strategies can be planned accordingly.
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A global database of ant species abundances
- What forces structure ecological assemblages? A key limitation to general insights about assemblage structure is the availability of data that are collected at a small spatial grain (local assemblages) and a large spatial extent (global coverage). Here, we present published and unpublished data from 51,388 ant abundance and occurrence records of more than 2693 species and 7953 morphospecies from local assemblages collected at 4212 locations around the world. Ants were selected because they are diverse and abundant globally, comprise a large fraction of animal biomass in most terrestrial communities, and are key contributors to a range of ecosystem functions. Data were collected between 1949 and 2014, and include, for each geo-referenced sampling site, both the identity of the ants collected and details of sampling design, habitat type and degree of disturbance. The aim of compiling this dataset was to provide comprehensive species abundance data in order to test relationships between assemblage structure and environmental and biogeographic factors. Data were collected using a variety of standardised methods, such as pitfall and Winkler traps, and will be valuable for studies investigating large-scale forces structuring local assemblages. Understanding such relationships is particularly critical under current rates of global change. We encourage authors holding additional data on systematically collected ant assemblages, especially those in dry and cold, and remote areas, to contact us and contribute their data to this growing dataset. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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The relationship between taxonomic diversity and aboveground carbon storage is taxon-specific
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Subterranean ants: what have been advanced in the last frontier of ant biodiversity studies?
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Plant-invertebrate-vertebrate biodiversity and food web patterns along Mt Wilhelm and other complete altitudinal rainforest gradients.
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Ants mosaic in tropical lowland forest: Take a look on a bigger scale
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Organizing large-scale biodiversity inventories in the tropics: lessons from IBISCA projects
- Leponce, M.1, Pascal, O.2, Novotny, V.3,4 & Y. Basset5 (1) Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Belgium (Maurice.Leponce@naturalsciences.be); (2) Pro-Natura International, France; (3) University of South Bohemia, Czech Rep.; (4) Czech Academy of Sciences; (5) Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama. Background: IBISCA is an international and informal network of biodiversity experts conducting large-scale biotic inventories in various regions of the World (www.ibisca.net). Each IBISCA project is a collective effort addressing a global ecological question. IBISCA-Panama (2003-2004) aimed at estimating the overall arthropod diversity of a lowland rainforest while the Papua New Guinea survey (2012-2014), conducted in the framework of the “Our Planet Reviewed” programme, aimed at assessing the diversity generated by the elevational factor, from sea level up to the tree line. Methods: All projects are multi-taxa (with an emphasis on plants and arthropods), multi-strata and multi-methods. A central database (DB) is at the heart of each project. Results: The data flow follows a 10 step standard process: (1) sampling design which is often a trade-off between sampling effort and representativeness; (2) pre-printing of permanent labels with unique codes for samples and specimens; (3) collection of specimens with standardized mass collection methods; (4) on-site pre-sorting of material by helpers (para-taxonomists, students) to Order level; (5) further sorting to Family level by Taxonomic Working Group (TWIG) leaders and dispatching of specimens to experts; (6) identification of the material to (morpho-)species level by taxonomic experts who send afterwards the results to their TWIG leader; (7) control of the quality of data by TWIG leaders who fill a data entry template and send it to the database administrator; (8) import and cleaning of the data by the database administrator; (9) analysis and publication of the data by participants, either collectively or individually; (10) export of the DB to a public repository of data. Assisted data entry with high tech equipment (barcode scanner, PDA) reduces the risk of errors. Discussion/conclusion: Our experience shows that the main bottleneck in the data flow is the processing of the huge quantity of specimens collected. Solutions include securing enough funds for this critical step, training research technicians (para-taxonomists/ecologists) to assist main investigators and focusing on a limited number of informative yet tractable taxa. An additional benefit is that providing employment to local research assistants supports initiatives of local communities to conserve their forests.
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Our Planet Reviewed 2012 biodiversity survey along Mt Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea.
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Spatio-temporal variation of ant distribution among ground layers in an Andean tropical forest
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Canopy exploration and paraecologist training in Papua New Guinea
- Canopy exploration and paraecologist training in Papua New Guinea Leponce, M. (1) (1) Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, (Maurice.Leponce@naturalsciences.be) Background: Papua New Guinea rainforests are among the most biodiverse on Earth. They still cover extensive areas but are being altered at a rapid rate. Their biodiversity is still largely unexplored especially in the treetops, called the canopy. The New Guinea Binatang Research Center, led by Prof. V. Novotny, is seeking for innovative solutions to promote ecological research, capacity building and nature conservation. Methods: For exploring the canopy biodiversity, new tools based on hot air or helium balloons were developed by a French NGO, Opération Canopée. The balloons were used to collect in situ plants and insects, ants in particular. Results: Ants reigned in the canopy. They were sometimes found living inside extraordinary myrmecophytes (Myrmecodia, Hydnophytum) which adapted their structure to accommodate the ants. A few territorial dominant ants such as Oecophylla or Crematogaster excluded each other from tree crowns, forming “ant mosaics”. Discussion/conclusion: For protecting native rainforests an innovative approach, linking biodiversity research and capacity building, was implemented. Gifted naturalists, called parataxonomists and paraecologists, were recruited in villages and trained by internationally-renowned scientists. Research stations created local employment. This source of income added to money from sponsors allowed local communities to obtain access to a higher level of education and health care without having to give in to the pressure related to deforestation. Video HD 16:9, French, English subtitles, 12min. Full version “In the treetops of Papua New Guinea” available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04h2FLb1HtA
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Contrasting ant diversity and distribution between ground, understorey and canopy rainforest strata along Mt Wilhelm, Papua New Guinea.
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Dna barcoding and ecological surveys of the ants of southern Atlantic forest: looking at the tip of the iceberg in a biodiversity hotspot
