Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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Soil-litter ant (Hymenoptera; Formicidae) community response to reforested lands of Gishwati tropical montane forest, Western-Nothern part of Rwanda.
- Recently, human activities have impacted biodiversity-rich forest in western Rwanda, creating a need to enhance restoration activities of degraded lands in the region. To evaluate the effects of reforestation activities on the community composition of soil-litter ants, research was conducted in Gishwati tropical montane forest, located in northern-western part of Rwanda. The ant fauna was studied in reforested lands dominated by regenerated native species and exotic tree species. Further, a primary forest made of native trees served as a reference. In each forest type, nine sampling points were used to sample ants. Ant specimens were collected using pitfalls, hand sampling and Winkler extractor. They were identified to subfamilies, genus and species levels using dichotomous keys, and also statistically analysed for species richness, diversity, evenness and community composition. We collected a total of 2,481 individuals from 5 subfamilies, 18 genera and 35 species. Higher abundance, diversity and species richness were found in soil-litter under natural primary and secondary forests dominated by regenerated native plant species compared to exotic tree forest. The ant community composition analysis indicated higher similarities in ant species sampled under primary native forest and secondary forest dominated by regenerated native species. Reforestation by regenerating native species may be given priority in restoration of degraded lands due to their importance in species richness and species diversity
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Camponotus fallax (Nylander, 1856) an expected species finally discovered in Belgium (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
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Is Lasius bicornis (Förster, 1850) a very rare ant species? (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)
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Holy mackerel! Medieval harbour cats from Iran and Oman had differential access to marine fish
- Being opportunistic animals, cats have adjusted to anthropogenic environments and enriched their food repertoire with meat from large terrestrial animals and fish. Although cats are skilled hunters, anthropogenic food comprises an important part of their diet when living in an urban centre, and, thus, their dietary reconstruction can provide information on regional food availabilities as well as their interactions with humans. With the aim to reconstruct the diet of cats from two medieval harbours in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman (Siraf in Iran and Qalhât in Oman), we conducted carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratio analysis on 28 cats and more than 100 associated faunal samples. Tens of cat remains have been discovered at both sites, which have historical and archaeological evidence for a long tradition in seafaring and sea fishing. The isotopic results reveal a high marine protein-based diet for the cats from Qalhât and a mixed marine-terrestrial (C4) diet for the cats from Siraf. Cats at both sites were most likely scavenging on both human food scraps and refuse related to fishing activities, with differences in the two areas most likely associated with the local availability of marine resources. By shedding light on the dietary habits of cats from two medieval harbours in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, our study illustrates the potential of stable isotope analysis in reconstructing human-cat interactions in the past. Keywords: carbon; nitrogen; cat; diet; Qalhât; Siraf.
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Sheep and goat birth seasonality at Early Byzantine Sagalassos
- The seasonality of birth, a key parameter when addressing past domestic livestock management, can be investigated through serial stable oxygen isotope analysis in tooth enamel. The assessment of the season of births requires furthermore the availability of modern reference data set, existing for cattle, sheep, pigs or llamas. The ancient site of Sagalassos, in the Taurus Mountains (SW Turkey), has delivered a large assemblage of sheep and goat remains. The osteological analysis revealed a predominance of goat over sheep, with a ratio varying between 65 and 90% over time. Goats and sheep were kept at an old age for the production of milk, wool/hair, as well as for horn-working and hide exploitation. A stable oxygen isotope (δ18O) analysis focussing on mandibular M2s was undertaken to investigate goat and sheep livestock demographic management during the Early Byzantine period (450-680 CE). ZooMS was used to confirm specific attribution of selected specimens (ten goats, eight sheep). Ten modern hair goats collected in the late 1990s in the context of a research project on small ruminant herd management in the Eastern Mediterranean were also sampled to provide a modern comparative for the assessment of birth season. The modern goat δ18O sequences were modelled according to Balasse et al. (2012) and compared with the existing sheep reference data set. The comparison suggests a different timing in the isotope record between sheep and goats and argues for the use of species-specific comparative for the assessment of birth season in archaeological herds. The comparison of the modern and archaeological goat δ18O sequences indicate a quite restricted season of births in spring for the latter. On the contrary, sheep births were spread out over roughly six months, from late winter/early spring to early-/mid-summer. More modern goat comparatives are needed to enrich this dataset. Keywords: Stable oxygen isotope, tooth enamel, birth seasonality, goat, Sagalassos.
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The Oriental stick insect genus Orestes Redtenbacher, 1906: Taxon omical notes and six new species from Vietnam (Phasmida: Hetropterygidae: Dataminae)
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Kemikkalıntılarıhakkındarapor/Report of the faunal analysis
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Economic and ecological reconstruction at the Classical site of Sagalassos, Turkey, using pig teeth
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People of the höyüks versus people of the mountains?
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Animal husbandry at the Early Neolithic to Early Bronze Age site of Bademağacı (Antalya province, SW Turkey): evidence from the faunal remains
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Dental microwear study of pigs from the classical site of Sagalassos (SW Turkey) as an aid for the reconstruction of husbandry practices in ancient times
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A Middle-Late Byzantine pottery assemblage from Sagalassos
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Sic transit gloria mundi. Does it really? Wasting seventh century AD Sagalassos (SW Turkey)
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DüzenTepe. Ertsen en edelstenen, huizen en voorraadkamers
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A special trophy
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Vlees en been
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Combined Hybridization Capture and Shotgun Sequencing for Ancient DNA Analysis of Extinct Wild and Domestic Dromedary Camel
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A taste of time. Foodways and cultural practices in Late Achaemenid-Early Hellenistic DüzenTepe (SW Anatolia)
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Fata morgana in Tongeren: Romeinse dromedaris op trektocht
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Les dents et les ossements humains. Que mangeait-on au moyen âge ?
