Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Evolutionary history of the thicket rats (genus Grammomys) mirrors the evolution of African forests since late Miocene
- Aim Grammomys are mostly arboreal rodents occurring in forests, woodlands and thickets throughout sub-Saharan Africa. We investigated whether the divergence events within the genus follow the existing evolutionary scenario for the development of African forests since the late Miocene. Location Sub-Saharan African forests and woodlands. Methods We inferred the molecular phylogeny of Grammomys using Bayesian and maximum likelihood methods and DNA sequences of 351 specimens collected from across the distribution of the genus. We mapped the genetic diversity, estimated the divergence times by a relaxed clock model and compared evolution of the genus with forest history. Results Phylogenetic analysis confirms the monophyly of Grammomys and reveals five main Grammomys lineages with mainly parapatric distributions: (1) the poensis group in Guineo-Congolese forests; (2) the selousi group with a distribution mainly in coastal forests of southern and eastern Africa; (3) the dolichurus group restricted to the easternmost part of South Africa; (4) the macmillani group in the northern part of eastern and Central Africa with one isolated species in Guinean forests; and (5) the surdaster group, widely distributed in eastern Africa south of the equator. Every group contains well supported sublineages suggesting the existence of undescribed species. The earliest split within the genus (groups 1 vs. 2–5) occurred in the late Miocene and coincides with the formation of the Rift Valley which resulted in the east–west division of the initially pan-African forest. The subsequent separation between groups (2 vs. 3–5) also dates to the end of the Miocene and suggests the split between Grammomys from coastal to upland forests in eastern Africa followed by a single dispersal event into western Africa during the Pleistocene. Conclusions The evolutionary history of the genus Grammomys closely reflects the accepted scenario of major historical changes in the distribution of tropical African forests since the late Miocene.
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Neanderthal behaviour, diet, and disease inferred from ancient DNA in dental calculus
- Recent genomic data have revealed multiple interactions between Neanderthals and modern humans, but there is currently little genetic evidence regarding Neanderthal behaviour, diet, or disease. Here we describe the shotgun-sequencing of ancient DNA from five specimens of Neanderthal calcified dental plaque (calculus) and the characterization of regional differences in Neanderthal ecology. At Spy cave, Belgium, Neanderthal diet was heavily meat based and included woolly rhinoceros and wild sheep (mouflon), characteristic of a steppe environment. In contrast, no meat was detected in the diet of Neanderthals from El Sidrón cave, Spain, and dietary components of mushrooms, pine nuts, and moss reflected forest gathering. Differences in diet were also linked to an overall shift in the oral bacterial community (microbiota) and suggested that meat consumption contributed to substantial variation within Neanderthal microbiota. Evidence for self-medication was detected in an El Sidrón Neanderthal with a dental abscess and a chronic gastrointestinal pathogen (Enterocytozoon bieneusi). Metagenomic data from this individual also contained a nearly complete genome of the archaeal commensal Methanobrevibacter oralis (10.2× depth of coverage)-the oldest draft microbial genome generated to date, at around 48,000 years old. DNA preserved within dental calculus represents a notable source of information about the behaviour and health of ancient hominin specimens, as well as a unique system that is useful for the study of long-term microbial evolution.
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Contribution to the knowledge of the genus Rhaphipodus Audinet-Serville, 1832 with the description of a new species from Sulawesi Island in Indonesia (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Prioninae)
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De abdij van Averbode, een verhaal van steen en marmer.
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Chapitre 3 – L’époque romaine.
- In Dossogne M. (dir), Authom N., Collette O., Goemaere E., Guillaume A., Hanut F., Genvier S., Pigière F., Raepsaet-Charlier M.-T. et Yernaux C., 2021. Occupations protohistoriques et gallo-romaines à Péruwelz/Braffe. Les sites de “Couture de Clérivau”, “Grande Ramette” et “Gros Tilleul ». Publication sortie de presse en juin 2022
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Occupations protohistoriques et gallo-romaines à Péruwelz/Braffe. Les sites de “Couture de Clérivau”, “Grande Ramette” et “Gros Tilleul ».
- Imprimé en 2022 Etudes et documents, Archéologie, 44, AWaP, 411 p. ISBN 978-2-39038-128-0
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Ath/Ghislanghien : vestiges protohistoriques dans le parc d’activité économique Orientis III.
- Imprimé avril 2022
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Viroinval/Treignes : campagne de fouilles 2020 à la grotte Genvier.
- Imprimé avril 2022, AWaP
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Geochemical and mineralogical characterisation of vitrified waste material discovered in large quantities on Roman salt production sites along the southern North Sea coast.
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Mortiers en pierre à Dinant et à Poilvache (Prov. Namur) : exemples mosans d’une production diffusée jusqu’au Danemark en passant par la zone de confluence de la Meuse et du Lek/Rhin ?
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Mons/Nouvelles : les décors en pierre de la villa de la Grande Boussue.
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A peculiar ornamental stone in the civitas Treverorum used in funeral monuments and the antique theatre of Dalheim (Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg).
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Red, grey and green marbles in the Civitates Tungrorum and Nerviorum: local and regional resources versus Mediterranean supplies.
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De la terre au métal : les approvisionnements d’un atelier du travail du cuivre et de ses alliages à Bruxelles au début du XVe siècle.
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Characterization, procurement and transformation of iron-rich raw material during Early Neolithic in Northwestern Europe
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Etude de roche. Exposition « Autour de Sainte-Gertrude. Les dessous de la Grand Place de Nivelles révélés par l’archéologie »
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Toxic Peptides in Populations of Two Pergid Sawflies, Potential Biocontrol Agents of Brazilian Peppertree
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WATERHYPERNET: Automated in situ measurements of hyperspectral water reflectance for satellite validation ... and more.
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Fossil bog soils (`dwog horizons') and their relation to Holocene coastal changes in the Jade Weser region, southern North Sea, Germany
- After the deceleration of the postglacial marine transgression, the German North Sea coast was subject to deposition of a complex pattern of subtidal to terrestrial facies. This study aims at reconstructing these facies changes in the `Land Wursten' region (Lower Saxony) by focussing on so-called dwog horizons (incipient soil horizons of the pre-engineered salt marshes). We explore their implications for relative sea-level reconstructions and their indication for early settlement activities. Archive drilling data (1960, provided by the `Landesamt für Bergbau, Energie und Geologie') were analysed to create five high-resolution stratigraphic cross sections. Three new drilling records were subjected to sedimentological and microfaunal investigations and interpreted to verify and calibrate the archive data. Two dwog horizons were found and 14C-AMS dated. We found basal salt marsh deposits inundated by a high-energy event and covered by tidal flat sediments. The thick tidal flat unit is again overlain by salt marsh deposits indicating the transition from a shallow marine to a terrestrial environment where dwogs were developed and covered by episodic marine incursions. The ages of the dwogs (1128–969 cal BC; cal AD 1426–1467) do not correlate with known layers of adjacent settlement sites and are critically discussed. However, we show that they correlate with phases of stagnant regional relative sea level (RSL) and can be used as RSL indicators. The combined archive and modern data provide valuable information for the RSL reconstruction and palaeoenvironmental changes. However, further research is recommended to accomplish more detailed information about coastal response during the Holocene sea-level changes and implications for settlement dynamics.
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Multiple dating approach (14C, 230Th/U and 36Cl) of tsunami-transported reef-top boulders on Bonaire (Leeward Antilles) – Current achievements and challenges
