Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
-
Upper stability limit of authigenic monazite in the Rocroi Inlier
-
Upper stability limit of authigenic monazite in the Rocroi Inlier
-
New (U-Th)/He dating of mixed (hydrothermal and weathering) processes in the Nefza-Sejnane polymetallic mining district (Tunisia)
-
La relation de l’homme au loup pendant le Paléolithique
- Le loup, effrayant protagoniste de nombreux contes, partage notre monde depuis l'âge glaciaire. Le chien, meilleur ami de l'homme, est également originaire de cette époque. Il descend d'un des plus redoutables prédateurs du Dernier Glaciaire : le loup pléistocène.
-
Plate tectonics, Climate changes and the Origin of Cichlid Biodiversity in East Africa
-
Les offrandes animales en contexte funéraire au Bas-Empire romain : une étude de cas sur les cimetières de la rue Perdue à Tournai et de Vieuxville-Roupée
-
The Muricidae (Gastropoda) described from Mauritius by Tapparone Canefri in 1881
-
Evolutionary history of the calcareous sponge Clathrina aurea: genetic connectivity in the Western Atlantic and intriguing occurrence in the Eastern Pacific
-
Phylogenomics of African radiation of Praomyini (Muridae: Murinae) rodents: first fully resolved phylogeny, evolutionary history and delimitation of extant genera
-
Regional differences in vertebral shape along the axial skeleton in caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)
- Abstract Caecilians are elongate, limbless and annulated amphibians that, as far as is known, all have an at least partly fossorial lifestyle. It has been suggested that elongate limbless vertebrates show little morphological differentiation throughout the postcranial skeleton. However, relatively few studies have explored the axial skeleton in limbless tetrapods. In this study, we used ?CT data and three-dimensional geometric morphometrics to explore regional differences in vertebral shape across a broad range of caecilian species. Our results highlight substantial differences in vertebral shape along the axial skeleton, with anterior vertebrae being short and bulky, whereas posterior vertebrae are more elongated. This study shows that despite being limbless, elongate tetrapods such as caecilians still show regional heterogeneity in the shape of individual vertebrae along the vertebral column. Further studies are needed, however, to understand the possible causes and functional consequences of the observed variation in vertebral shape in caecilians.
-
The relationship between head shape, head musculature and bite force in caecilians (Amphibia: Gymnophiona)
- Caecilians are enigmatic limbless amphibians that, with a few exceptions, all have an at least partly burrowing lifestyle. Although it has been suggested that caecilian evolution resulted in sturdy and compact skulls as an adaptation to their head-first burrowing habits, no relationship between skull shape and burrowing performance has been demonstrated to date. However, the unique dual jaw-closing mechanism and the osteological variability of their temporal region suggest a potential relationship between skull shape and feeding mechanics. Here, we explored the relationships between skull shape, head musculature and in vivo bite forces. Although there is a correlation between bite force and external head shape, no relationship between bite force and skull shape could be detected. Whereas our data suggest that muscles are the principal drivers of variation in bite force, the shape of the skull is constrained by factors other than demands for bite force generation. However, a strong covariation between the cranium and mandible exists. Moreover, both cranium and mandible shape covary with jaw muscle architecture. Caecilians show a gradient between species with a long retroarticular process associated with a large and pennate-fibered m. interhyoideus posterior and species with a short process but long and parallel-fibered jaw adductors. Our results demonstrate the complexity of the relationship between form and function of this jaw system. Further studies that focus on factors such as gape distance or jaw velocity will be needed in order to fully understand the evolution of feeding mechanics in caecilians.
-
Reliquats d'occupations du Paléolithique final et du Mésolithique sur le site de la "Station Leduc" (Aywaille/Sougné-Remouchamps)
-
Paléobiologie et paléobiogéographie des amphibiens et reptiles : un hommage à Jean-Claude Rage – 2e partie
- Editorial for the special volume in honour of Jean-Claude Rage.
-
Records of new and rare carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) for Belgium collected or identified during the period 2008 – 2018
-
Description of a new species of the genus Anomophysis Quentin & Villiers, 1981 from Wetar Island (Contribution to the knowledge of Indonesian Prioninae-2) (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae)
-
Mainstreaming biodiversity conservation into development cooperation. Joint KLIMOS-CeBIOS
-
Belgian scientists call for our government to safeguard biodiversity. NL and FR speaking Belgian media, initiated by Prof. B. Coolsaet (UA).
-
Als akkervogels uitsterven, loopt het ook met ons niet goed af’.
- see http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20180406_03449431
-
Dans les pays du sud la cooperation belge au developpement au chevet de la biodiversite
- voir http://www.levif.be/actualite/environnement/au-chevet-de-la-biodiversite/article-normal-848179.html and http://www.lalibre.be/dernieres-depeches/belga/dans-les-pays-du-sud-la-cooperation-belge-au-developpement-au-chevet-de-la-biodiversite-5b14d0495532f10b07f0deae and https://www.rtl.be/info/magazine/science-nature/dans-les-pays-du-sud-la-cooperation-belge-au-developpement-au-chevet-de-la-biodiversite-1027941.aspx, and http://www.dhnet.be/dernieres-depeches/belga/dans-les-pays-du-sud-la-cooperation-belge-au-developpement-au-chevet-de-la-biodiversite-5b14d0495532f10b07f0deae and https://fr.metrotime.be/2018/06/04/news/dans-les-pays-du-sud-la-cooperation-belge-au-developpement-au-chevet-de-la-biodiversite/
-
Interview in Biodiversity News Flash 80 (Belgian platform Biodiversity) of Luc Janssens de Bisthoven
- see http://www.biodiversity.be/4353/
