Search publications of the members of the Royal Belgian institute of natural Sciences
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De verborgen pracht van nautilussen uit het Boven Jura van Madagascar
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Kleine heremietkreeft aan onze kust
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Re-identification of an exotic bee introduced to the Hunter Valley region, New South Wales – <i>Seladonia hotoni</i> (vachal, 1903) (hymenoptera: halictidae)
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A new Miocene baleen whale from the Peruvian desert
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A new whale barnacle from the early Pleistocene of Italy suggests an ancient right whale breeding ground in the Mediterranean
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Jumping from turtles to whales: a Pliocene fossil record depicts an ancient dispersal of Chelonibia on mysticetes
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A new species of Metopocetus (Cetacea, Mysticeti, Cetotheriidae) from the Late Miocene of the Netherlands
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Structure and growth pattern of the bizarre hemispheric prominence on the rostrum of the fossil beaked whale Globicetus hiberus (Mammalia, Cetacea, Ziphiidae)
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New beaked whales from the late Miocene of Peru and evidence for convergent evolution in stem and crown Ziphiidae (Cetacea, Odontoceti)
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Sawflies (Hymenoptera: Argidae, Pergidae, Tenthredidinidae) from southern Ecuador, with a new record for the country and some ecological data.
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Straks walvistoerisme voor onze kust?
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Zeezoogdieren in België in 2015 [Marine mammals in Belgium in 2015]
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Seasonal habitat-based density models for a marine top predator, the harbor porpoise, in a dynamic environment
- Effective species conservation and management requires information on species distribution patterns, which is challenging for highly mobile and cryptic species that may be subject to multiple anthropogenic stressors across international boundaries. Understanding species– habitat relationships can improve the assessment of trends and distribution by explicitly allowing high- resolution data on habitats to inform abundance estimation and the identification of protected areas. In this study, we aggregated an unprecedented set of survey data of a marine top predator, the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena), collected in the UK (SCANS II, Dogger Bank), Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, and Denmark, to develop seasonal habitat- based density models for the central and southern North Sea. Visual survey data were collected over 9 yr (2005–2013) by means of dedicated line- transect surveys, taking into account the proportion of missed sightings. Generalized additive models of porpoise density were fitted to 156,630 km of on- effort survey data with 14,356 sightings of porpoise groups. Selected predictors included static and dynamic variables, such as depth, distance to shore and to sandeel (Ammodytes spp.) grounds, sea surface temperature (SST), proxies for fronts, and day length. Day length and the spatial distribution of daily SST proved to be good proxies for “season,” allowing predictions in both space and time. The density models captured seasonal distribution shifts of porpoises across international boundaries. By combining the large- scale international SCANS II survey with the more frequent, small- scale national surveys, it has been possible to provide seasonal maps that will be used to assist the EU Habitats and Marine Strategy Framework Directives in effectively assessing the conservation status of harbor porpoises. Moreover, our results can facilitate the identification of regions where human activities and disturbances are likely to impact the population and are especially relevant for marine spatial planning, which requires accurate fine- scale maps of species distribution to assess risks of increasing human activities at sea.
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Bacterial and eukaryotic biodiversity patterns in terrestrial and aquatic habitats in the Sør Rondane Mountains, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica
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How useful are volunteers for visual biodiversity surveys? An evaluation of skill level and group size during a conservation expedition
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Newly discovered populations of the Ethiopian endemic and endangered Afrixalus clarkei Largen, implications for conservation
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Editorial: The Year of the Monkey and of Global Understanding
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Invasive South American floating plants are a successful substrate for native Central African pleuston
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Aquatic resources in human diet in the Late Mesolithic in Northern France and Luxembourg: insights from carbon, nitrogen and sulphur isotope ratios
- We investigated the contribution of freshwater resources to the diet of seven Late Mesolithic hunter-gatherers (ca. 5300–7000 BC) from Northern France and Luxembourg using stable isotope ratios. In addition to the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ13C, δ15N), we explored the potential of the sulphur isotopic ratios (δ34S) to detect and quantify the proportion of protein derived from aquatic foodstuff. In only two sites, animal remains from an associated settlement were available and subsequently examined to decipher the isotopic differential between terrestrial and freshwater resources. The quantification of their relative contribution was simulated using a Bayesian mixing model. The measurements revealed a significant overlap in δ13C values between freshwater and terrestrial resources and a large range of δ15Nvalues for each food category. The δ34S values of the aquatic and terrestrial animals were clearly distinct at the settlement in the Seine valley, while the results on fish from Belgium demonstrated a possible overlap in δ34S values between freshwater and terrestrial resources. Local freshwater ecosystem likely contributed to ca. 30–40 % of the protein in the diet of the individuals found in the Seine settlement. Out of this context, the isotopic signature and thus contribution of the available aquatic foods was difficult to assess. Another potential source of dietary protein is wild boar. Depending on the local context, collagen δ34S values may contribute to better assessment of the relative contribution of freshwater and terrestrial resources.
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Evidence of a Cooler Continental Climate in East China during the Warm Early Cenozoic
- The early Cenozoic was characterized by a very warm climate especially during the Early Eocene. To understand climatic changes in eastern Asia, we reconstructed the Early Eocene vegetation and climate based on palynological data of a borehole from Wutu coal mine, East China and evaluated the climatic differences between eastern Asia and Central Europe. The Wutu palynological assemblages indicated a warm temperate vegetation succession comprising mixed needle- and broad-leaved forests. Three periods of vegetation succession over time were recognized. The changes of palynomorph relative abundance indicated that period 1 was warm and humid, period 2 was relatively warmer and wetter, and period 3 was cooler and drier again. The climatic parameters estimated by the coexistence approach (CA) suggested that the Early Eocene climate in Wutu was warmer and wetter. Mean annual temperature (MAT) was approximately 16°C and mean annual precipitation (MAP) was 800–1400 mm. Comparison of the Early Eocene climatic parameters of Wutu with those of 39 other fossil floras of different age in East China, reveals that 1) the climate became gradually cooler during the last 65 million years, with MAT dropping by 9.3°C. This cooling trend coincided with the ocean temperature changes but with weaker amplitude; 2) the Early Eocene climate was cooler in East China than in Central Europe; 3) the cooling trend in East China (MAT dropped by 6.9°C) was gentler than in Central Europe (MAT dropped by 13°C) during the last 45 million years.
