Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Bouwstenen: hoe de mens de ondergrond gebruikte. In: Bart Vercoutere (red.) Brabantse Wouden. Het verhaal van een landschap. Nationaal Park Brabantse Wouden.
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Post Mining Ground Deformations Transition Related to Coal Mines Closure in the Campine Coal Basin, Belgium, Evidenced by Three Decades of MT-InSAR Data
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Archeologische opgraving Noorderterras. Natuursteen in de depositie van ballaststeen en hergebruikte bouwmaterialen van de Burcht, Scheldekaaien/Noorderterras: beschrijving petrografische slijpplaatjes. Studie uitgevoerd in opdracht van de stadsdienst Arc
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De doopvont uit Jabbeke in het kasteel van Loppem. Natuursteenidentificatie en -herkomst. Studie i.o.v. Stichting Jean van Caloen, Kasteel van Loppem
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Gerechtshof Gent. Natuursteenidentificatie en -herkomst. Studie voor: Origin Architecture & Engineering. Michel Dusar consult
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Abdij van Park Heverlee. Natuursteenidentificatie klooster en kerk. Studie i.o.v. PRC bv., v2 5.9.2023. Michel Dusar consult
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Restauratie Justitiepaleis. Groeventocht naar Savonnières, Euville en Comblanchien. Studie voor: Perspectiv Architecten. Michel Dusar consult
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Restauratie Justitiepaleis. Onderzoek van te vervangen Comblanchien (deel 1). Studie i.o.v. Perspectiv Architecten. Michel Dusar consult
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Geologisch en hydrogeologisch 3D model van het Cenozoïcum van de Belgisch-Nederlandse grensstreek van De Noorderkempen / West-Brabant (H3O-De Voorkempen).
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Drivers of intraspecific variation in Iguanodon bernissartensis (Ornithischia, Dinosauria): a preliminary 3D investigation of foot bones
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Fossil evidence of tylosis formation in Late Devonian plants
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Plant-insect interactions in the Selandian (Early Paleocene) Gelinden Fossil Flora (Belgium) and what they mean for the ecosystems after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction
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New morphological and anatomical data derived from a rare Early Devonian French flora
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Tour d’Horizon 2017. 31 July-4 August 2017 – Detailed Mission Report. MUMM-ODN (RBINS)
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Increased densities of the bio-irrigator Lanice conchilega affect composition and diversity of nosZ transcripts.
- The presence of the piston-pumping polychaete Lanice conchilega can induce short term oscillations in oxygen and nitrate availability at deeper sediment layers, affecting the functional properties of local microbial communities. Here, we investigated the effect of Lanice conchilega densities on the expression of the nosZ gene, a gene encoding for the enzymes involved in the last step (reduction of N2O) of the denitrification pathway. Sediments with “high” , “low” and no Lanice individuals were collected from the intertidal and incubated submerged (reflecting the high water tide) in the lab, to measure vertical oxygen profiles and oxygen oscillations during 35 minutes at 1.5 mm sediment depth before slicing the sediment, and extracting RNA for Illumina sequencing the nosZ gene. We found 502 unique amino acid sequences (“nosZ-UAT), only 21 of them were abundant (>1% relative abundance). nosZ-AUT based community analyses showed that high densities of Lanice significantly affected the nosZ transcript composition. In addition, higher variability was observed in the high density treatments as well. Further differences were observed between the top layer of the sediment (0-0.5 cm) and the investigated deeper layers. The difference in nosZ-AUT Shannon diversity between deeper sediment layers and the upper sediment layer increased with Lanice density. The observed differences in nosZ-AUT composition and diversity at small horizontal (m) and vertical (cm) scale can thus be attributed to differences in bio-irrigator densities. We hypothese that this due to stronger oscillations of both O2 and NO3- availability in the presence of high densities of bio-irrigators. Oscillations of O2 concentrations at a single spot in otherwise anoxic environments create microhabitats where coupled nitrification-denitrification is possible, while providing the environment with NO3- provides substrate for denitrification. As such, the presence of high densities of bio-irrigators increase the effect of already reported tide-related redox oscillations during periods of submersion.
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System-to-system interface between the EMSA CleanSeaNet service and OSERIT: the potential synergies between remote sensing and modelling in case of marine pollution.
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SeaDataNet, a Network of Distributed Oceanographic Data Centres Now Going to the Cloud
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4 Decades of Belgian Marine monitoring: Uplifting historical data to today’s needs
- Contamination, eutrophication and acidification (MSFD descriptors) are intensely studied in the Belgian Coastal Zone (BCZ) since 1970. The use of historic data in long-term analyses has some major drawbacks: unavailability of the (meta)data and inconsistencies in spatial resolution, frequency, measurement techniques and storage. BMDC (RBINS) and VMDC (VLIZ), both NODCs, integrated all sources, its data and metadata in databases and updated the catalogues. The data are further uplifted by means of high tech methods for intense quality-check, intercalibration and valorisation of the integrated data sets and finally the assessment of environmental changes. A central data portal is under development, where the project data of the two NODCs will be made publically accessible. The case study on contaminants in sediment show the robustness of using Al and Fe as normalizers.
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From toad to frog: osteological description and taxonomic reattribution of the 'mummified' holotype of Bufo servatus, an Eocene anuran, based on micro-CT examination
- The Quercy Phosphorites are a set of Eocene-Oligocene deposits from South-West France that yielded numerous vertebrate fossils, including amphibians, mostly as isolated bones. However, in 1873, several exceptional amphibian specimens were discovered, with the external surface of the unmineralized tissues preserved, and were commonly referred as “mummies”. In the 19th century, they were described without any knowledge of their internal anatomy. Since 2012, we have started scanning these “mummies”, revealing the preserved internal soft tissues and articulated skeleton. A first specimen was attributed in 2013 to Thaumastosaurus gezei and we here present our results from the tomography of a second “mummified” anuran, previously identified as Bufo servatus. The tomography showed a preserved articulated skeleton, and its osteological characteristics are similar to the first scanned anuran “mummy”, representing different ontogenetic stages. Both are now both attributed to Thaumastosaurus servatus nov. comb. The new anatomical information is used to assess the affinities of T. servatus, which appears to belong to the Pyxicephalidae, an African anuran clade. Thaumastosaurus thus represents both the oldest occurrence of this clade in the fossil record and its first occurrence outside of Africa. Its presence in Europe highlights a faunistic exchange with Africa during the Eocene, also documented for several clade of squamates. The presence of this African herpetofauna in Europe might be linked to the warmer climate during the Eocene. However, most of this herpetofauna, including Thaumastosaurus, disappeared from the region around an extinction event (named the “Grande Coupure”) that took place around the Eocene/Oligocene transition (~34 Ma).
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La mystérieuse couleuvre Taumastophis de l'Eocène inférieur de l'Inde
- La Formation du Shale de Cambay, visible dans les mines de lignite de Vastan, Mangrol et Tadkeswhar au Gujarat, dans l’ouest de l’Inde, a livré une riche faune yprésienne de vertébrés incluant des serpents madtsoïdes, palaeophiidés, booidés et colubroïdes. Ces derniers sont particulièrement abondants mais leurs affinités systématiques sont difficiles à résoudre. Une étude plus détaillée du serpent colubroïde Thaumastophis missiaeni a été entreprise (Zaher et al., 2021). Celle-ci révèle la présence sur ces sites de vertèbres troncales antérieures, moyennes et postérieures ainsi que quelques vertèbres caudales. La combinaison de caractères vertébraux cénophidiens et colubroïdes primitifs et dérivés confirme que Thaumastophis est à la base des Colubriformes. Il en serait le plus ancien représentant connu tandis que Procerophis, découvert dans les mêmes niveaux, peut être considéré comme un Colubriformes dérivé. Par ailleurs, Thaumastophis partage avec le serpent Renenutet enmerwer, connu de l’Eocène supérieur d’Egypte, la combinaison unique des caractères vertébraux suivants: processus prézygapophysénaux bien développés, présence de foramens parazygapophysénaux, épines neurales hautes sur les vertèbres troncales moyennes et postérieures, épines neurales envahissant le tectum zygosphénien, régions para- et diapophysaires distinctes, hypapophyses présentes sur les vertèbres troncales antérieures, vertèbres caudales avec haemapophyses laminaires étendues, cotyle déprimé. Ceci suggère un échange faunique entre l’Inde et l’Afrique du Nord, en passant par la marge la plus au Sud de la Neothethys. Une nouvelle famille des Thaumastophiidae peut donc être proposée incluant le genre Thaumastophis et Renenutet sur base de leur morphologie vertébrale dérivée. Financements Les missions de terrain et la recherche associée ont été financées par la Leakey Foundation; la National Geographic Society; le Département des Sciences et Technologies du gouvernement Indien; le Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun, Inde; le projet PalEurAfrica de la Politique Scientifique fédérale belge; le Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Tecnológico; le Coordenação de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior; la Fundaçáo de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo. Références Zaher H., Folie A., Quadros A.B., Rana R.S., Kumar K., Rose K.D., Fahmy M. & Smith T., 2021. Additional vertebral material of Thaumastophis (Serpentes: Caenophidia) from the early Eocene of India provides new insights on the early diversification of colubroidean snakes. Geobios, 66-67: in press. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geobios.2020.06.009.
