Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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The future of freshwater biodiversity research: An introduction to the target review
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Tale of a sleeping beauty: A new and easily cultured model organism for experimental studies on bdelloid rotifers
- We present the description of a new species of bdelloid rotifer, Adineta ricciae n. sp., which emerged from dry mud of Ryan's billabong, Victoria, Australia. Its conspicuous frontal eyes easily diagnose the species; it differs from A. oculata (Milne) by the position of the eyes and its general habitus. The animal came to our attention because it is exceptionally easy to culture, so that the species already is being used in diverse experimental studies utilising bdelloid rotifers as model organisms. © Springer 2005.
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Two new species of the genus Chersodromia Walker (Diptera: Hybotidae) from Southeast Asia
- Two new species of the genus Chersodromia Walker are described from mangroves of Singapore: C. nigripennis sp.n. and C. singaporensis sp.n. Palpal sensory pits are recorded for the first time in the genus and Tachydromiinae as a whole. They are present in both species. Some aspects of the male terminalia in Chersodromia are shortly discussed. Copyright © 2005 Magnolia Press.
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On a new Seison Grube, 1861 from coastal waters of Kenya, with a reappraisal of the classification of the Seisonida (Rotifera)
- On occasion of the discovery of a new species of a marine epizoic rotifer of the enigmatic Seisonidae, from Gazi Bay in Kenya, we reassessed the classification of the group. The taxon was until now known to contain only 2 species, viz. Seison nebaliae and S. annulatus, both of which live attached to Crustacea of the genus Nebalia. The new species, Seison africanus sp. nov., was diagnosed by its species-specific trophi morphology and relatively small size. A comparison with the 2 other known seisonid species reveals a sister group relationship between S. africanus sp. nov. and S. nebaliae, based on similarities in trophi structure and, accordingly, an assumed feeding mode and relationship with their hosts. The fundamental differences between these 2 commensal sister taxa and the ectoparasitic S. annulatus prompted a reevaluation of the generic classification of these animals. Accordingly, we propose to reestablish the genus Paraseison Plate, 1887 in order to accommodate P. annulatus (Claus, 1876) (comb. nov.).
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Multiple origins of tetraploid taxa in the Eurasian Bufo viridis subgroup
- We used Q-banding and analyzed nucleolar organizing regions (NORs) to study the cytogenetic evolution of tetraploids within the Palearctic Bufo viridis subgroup, the only known amphibian complex comprising di-, tri- and tetraploid bisexually reproducing taxa. We examined three diploid (2n) nominal taxa (Bufo viridis viridis, B. v. turanensis, B. v. kermanensis) from five Eurasian localities and six tetraploid (4n) nominal taxa (B. oblongus, B. o. danatensis, B. pewzowi pewzowi, B. p. taxkorensis, B. p. unicolor, B. p. strauchi) from eight Central Asian localities. Homeologous chromosomes of 2n and 4n toads exhibit a similar morphology. Silver-staining and in situ hybridization revealed terminal NORs in the long arms of chromosomes 6 in all 2n but in only two out of four chromosomes 6 in all 4n taxa. Q-banding and a rapidly evolving mitochondrial marker suggest at least two origination events for Asian 4n toads: "Western Central Asian tetraploids" (B. oblongus Nikolsky, 1896) exhibit distinct differences within some chromosome quartets, which are divisible into pairs of chromosomes and may be allopolyploid. In contrast, "Central Asian tetraploids" (B. pewzowi Bedriaga, 1898) showed homogenous Q-banding patterns within each quartet, suggesting autopolyploidy. In Northeastern Iran, we discovered a zone of either common ancestry or hybridization of 2n and Western Central Asian 4n toads. This raises intriguing questions about how diploid and tetraploid taxa may evolve by exchanging genetic material. © Springer 2005.
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Total suspended matter maps from chris imagery of a small inland water body in oostende (Belgium)
- It has been already established that total suspended matter (TSM) can be retrieved from CHRIS imagery for turbid coastal waters, but what about inland waters? Because of the high resolution of CHRIS/PROBA images, inland waters not visible by sensors like SeaWiFS, MERIS and MODIS become detectable and are expected to become a key new application domain for optical remote sensing. In the Oostende test site there is a small (800m* 1400m) inland water body with an average depth of 1.5m called the Spuikom. On 6 July 2004, a cloud free CHRIS acquisition of the Oostende test site occurred with simultaneous in situ measurements. The reprocessed dataset is evaluated and analyzed. Data from CHRIS show abnormally high near infrared (NIR) reflectance in the lake, especially near the borders. This does not significantly affect TSM maps but does contaminate the chlorophyll maps deduced from CHRIS imagery. This high NIR reflectance is probably caused by adjacency effects, although the possibility of bottom reflection must also be assessed. In the summer of 2005 a measurement campaign is planned to investigate further the influence of nearby land and bottom reflection in order to provide a benchmark dataset for testing of algorithms to detect and correct for such effects. CHRIS images will be an important component of this dataset.
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Molecular systematics of the endemic Leptaxini (Gastropoda: Pulmonata) on the Azores islands
- The Azorean representatives of the Leptaxini (Pulmonata) are single island endemics, where a high-spired shell distinguishes the monotypic genus Helixena from two slightly different low-spired forms within Leptaxis (azorica and caldeirarum type). We studied the evolutionary history of putative taxa and the three shell-types using 12 allozyme loci and sequences of nuclear (ITS-1 and ITS-2) and mitochondrial DNA (COI and 16S rRNA). While little variation was found in both ITS genes, allozyme and mtDNA divergence was among the highest reported for pulmonate land snails. Generally, phylogeographic patterns are indicative of allopatric differentiation via the successive colonization of (younger) islands, while a major role for adaptive evolution is not supported. The azorica shell-type is monophyletic and has no common history with other sympatric shell-types on the same islands. The (ambiguous) position of Helixena sanctaemariae makes Leptaxis paraphyletic on the Azores and possibly also the caldeirarum shell-type. Helixena can therefore not be distinguished as a separate genus on the Azores. Following a lineage-based concept, representatives on all (ancient) islands should be considered distinct species. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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A micro- and macrobotanical study of two Middle Weichselian, fluviatile deposits in the loam area of middle Belgium
- A palynological study of Middle Weichselian fluviatile deposits, lying at the base of a bipartite loam cover at Soignies and Courcelles, revealed an open landscape with some scattered trees or shrubs of Pinus, Betula and Salix except for the lowermost channel at Soignies, where a boreal forest composed of Alnus, Pinus, Betula and Salix could be reconstructed. The diaspores appear to have been derived from plant communities representing a diversity of habitats, i.e., fully aquatic communities (Charetea, Potametea), swamps and mires (Phragmitetea, Parvocaricetea, Molinio-Arrhenatheretea) and pioneers of bare ground (Bidentetea). The abundance of leaves from Salix herbacea, retrieved from both sites, confirms the arctic climatic conditions. © Royal Botanical Society of Belgium.
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The Middle Holocene shell mound of El Gouna on the Red Sea (Egypt)
- In the El Gouna (Hurghada) area on the Red Sea of Egypt, a Middle Holocene shell mound from around 5800 B.P. (uncalibrated radiocarbon years before A.D. 1950) has been tested by a restricted excavation. Collection of shellfish on the Red Sea shore provided subsistence opportunities for Middle Holocene groups coeval with the Early Predynastic Tasian of the Nile Valley. The El Gouna site demonstrates for the first time that prehistoric shell mounds exist near the Egyptian Red Sea shore.
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New insights into cave hyena ethology and the implications for territorial competition with hominins in Late Pleistocene north-west Europe: the case of Caverne Marie-Jeanne (Belgium)
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The cytheroidean spinneret seta, an evolutionary novelty in ostracod phylogeny.
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The Early Miocene odontocete Araeodelphis natator Kellogg, 1957 (Cetacea; Platanistidae), from the Calvert Formation of Maryland, U.S.A.
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Past beaked whale diversity in the North Sea: reappraisal through a new Miocene record and biostratigraphic analyses
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Byzantine Sagalassos
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Learning from ancient water management: Archaeology's role in modern-day climate change adaptations
- Climate change is altering our environment and societies worldwide have to devise adaptation strategies. Water management strategies are becoming especially important. In the past, societies had to adapt in order to survive as well. Communities often practised long‐term sustainable agriculture. By understanding the ways in which ancient communities were successful at or failed in attaining social‐ecological resilience through water management archeologists can provide important information for modern communities facing similar problems. Archeology's long time perspective is very valuable. However, archeologists are confronted with a number of issues. Archeology can only study the material remains of past societies, not the living communities. Not all human activity translates into material residue and not all materials survive. Moreover, people will not demonstrate completely rational cause‐and‐effect behavior, but ideology and beliefs, which archeology can only poorly attest, will also have influenced decisions. Nevertheless, archeology can bring a unique perspective to the debate on climate change adaptation: archeology can falsify or corroborate sustainability claims, ancient water management techniques may still be a resilient mode of subsistence and ancient techniques often rely on relatively simple technology allowing for easier adoption. When transposing ancient water management techniques to modern situations it is important to involve stakeholders from an early stage, to incorporate traditional knowledge systems as much as possible and most importantly to ascertain whether physical and socio‐cultural circumstances are comparable. Archeological knowledge on ancient sustainability and water management is not a panacea for all climate related aridification, but can contribute a unique longue durée perspective.
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Late Miocene survival of a hyper-longirostrine dolphin and the Neogene to Recent evolution of rostrum proportions among odontocetes
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Monkeypox viruses circulate in distantly-related small mammal species in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
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Biodiversity changes in African forests and the emergence of infectious diseases: Should we worry?
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Uncovering the diversity and evolutionary histories of viruses from archived specimens from the Afrotropics
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Diversity of rodents and their viruses from pristine to degraded habitat in DR Congo
