Orfeo BELSPO Instutional Open Access Repository for Federal Organisation
Not a member yet
14207 research outputs found
Sort by
Differences in volcanic risk perception among Goma s population before the Nyiragongo eruption of May 2021, Virunga volcanic province (DR Congo)
No full textReliekschrijnen in Limburg
No full textLezing in het kader van het project "Vlaamse meesters op hun plek" van Toerisme Vlaanderen en Openbaar Kunstbezit Vlaandere
First Eastern Mediterranean Record of Xenoligophoroides cobitis, the Only Dactylogyrid Monogenean Infecting Mediterranean Gobies: Just Arrived or Missed the Boat?
No full textGobies and their ectoparasitic monogenean flatworms are promising models for species diversification because of their species richness. Recent decades have seen the discovery of several new species of Gyrodactylus (Monogenea: Gyrodactylidae) on European gobies, mostly in the sand goby lineage and especially in the eastern Mediterranean. However, the monogenean fauna of other gobies is much less understood. Therefore, we inspected five gobiid species (34 specimens, vouchered, with some representatives sequenced), sampled in Greece, for monogenean ectoparasites. Only specimens of the giant goby, Gobius cobitis, were infected; they harbored Xenoligophoroides cobitis (Monogenea: Dactylogyridae) on their gills. Here, we provide the first record from Greece, and the first ITS rDNA and COI sequences of the representative of this monotypic genus. Additionally, 28S rDNA was sequenced and compared with published data from across its known distribution, suggesting clinal variation. No sister-group for Xenoligophoroides could be proposed, nor could we explain the presence of a single known member of this genus on gobies, due to a lack of sequence data of closely related dactylogyrid monogeneans in public databases. Possible hypotheses include either the ancestral long-term presence on gobiids but "missing the boat" of the diversification events in the "Gobius-lineage", or a recent host switch from a non-gobiid host
BopCo: an identification service for species of policy concern, including invasive alien species
No full textInvasive alien species (IAS) can cause a multitude of socio-economic and ecologic problems, warranting the need for their early detection, monitoring, and management. To do so, reliable species identifications are required, using morphology- and/or DNA-based approaches. BopCo is a Belgian centre of excellence that provides such identification services for various species of policy concern, including IAS. BopCo is jointly run by the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences and the Royal Museum for Central Africa, and has access to extensive reference collections, expert taxonomists, and a comprehensive research infrastructure. BopCo handles on-demand species identification requests and is a partner on various projects related to IAS. As such, BopCo contributes to studying the introduction pathways and dispersal dynamics of two invasive mosquito species in Belgium, Aedes albopictus and Ae. japonicus. Using various DNA identification techniques, BopCo verifies the species identity of the exotic mosquitoes collected at multiple points of entry. Furthermore, BopCo was involved in documenting the first occurrences of three exotic termite species in Belgium: Cryptotermes brevis, Reticulitermes banyulensis, and R. flavipes. Morphological identification of specimens was corroborated through DNA-barcoding validation. Reticulitermes flavipes is of particular concern as it has been invasive in France for many years and likely to establish populations in Belgium. Finally, BopCo evaluates the usefulness of publicly available DNA sequence data to identify the plant and animal species included in the list of Invasive Alien Species of Union Concern (EU Regulations 2016/1141 and 2017/1263). The results are presented as IAS Factsheets which aim to inform policy makers and provide relevant authorities with an identification tool for suspected IAS samples
Monitoring the trade in exotic animals through DNA Barcoding of Passenger-Imported Wild Meat
No full textThe project INTERCEPT seeks to establish a robust framework for the long-term monitoring of exotic wild meat imports into Belgium, highlighting the legal and illegal aspects of the trade and its implications for public and animal health. INTERCEPT aims to move towards a centralized database by integrating data from various federal databases (db), including the CITES Unit db, FASFC BaCon (Baggage Control) action data, TRACES NT, and PLDA db (customs). This initiative will facilitate the efficient documentation of legal and illegal trades from intercepted shipments and promote the dissemination of crucial information among federal services, agencies, and stakeholders. Within this project, BopCo-CE (The Barcoding Facility for Organisms and Tissues of Policy Concern, Centre of Excellence) plays a pivotal role in identifying meats seized during BaCon operations at Zaventem Airport (Belgium), and meats retrieved from leaking luggage destructions by Saniport. The project aims to introduce a secure and efficient sampling method for officials, along with a laboratory species identification pipeline for sample processing, which will enable rapid DNA-based identification of imported meats. Simultaneously, within the framework of the INTERCEPT project, Sciensano will conduct screenings for pathogens. At present, 250 biological samples have been collected. Using DNA-based identification techniques, 207 specimens were identified to species-level, indicating that 29.6% are of wild origin. Of these, less than one percent of the specimens were classified under CITES status. Within wild meat samples seized, Cane rat (Thryonomys swinderianus 11%) and African brush-tailed porcupine (Atherurus africanus 8%) were predominant. Four specimens (7%) were misidentified as domestic meat upon seizure, while DNA analyses revealed a wild origin. Inversely six specimens (4%) were misidentified as wild meat but DNA analyses showed them to be domestic. All samples and DNA are deposited in RBINS collections for long-term preservation. By fostering collaboration among scientific institutions and federal agencies, this initiative aims to inform border control measures, and will support future research into diseases carried by exotic meat, offering a detailed evaluation of the health risks associated with the import of meat from non-EU countries
Quasithermal Noise in Magnetized Plasma: Theory and Simulations
Get PDFQuasithermal noise (QTN) spectroscopy has been extensively used as an accurate tool to measure electron density and temperature in unmagnetized space plasmas. The observed spectrum depends on both antenna geometry and plasma kinetic properties. When considering the QTN signal of a magnetized plasma, the description becomes more complicated. We utilize particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations to study the QTN characteristics in magnetized plasmas based on Maxwellian and two-Maxwellian distributions. We compare these results with numerical computations, finding good agreement between the two. However, there are some minor differences. Specifically, when the angle between the wavevector (k) and the background magnetic field was 60°, clear harmonics appeared in the QTN signal from the numerical computations, whereas in the PIC simulations, these harmonics appeared at an angle of 80°. This discrepancy may be related to additional noise in the PIC simulation and our parameter limitations. In addition, Bernstein harmonics become more pronounced as the angle increases between and the background magnetic field. These results demonstrate that PIC simulations can be used to more accurately characterize QTN signals in complex, magnetized systems
Central Hoggar groundwaters and the role of shear zones: 87Sr/86Sr, δ18O, δ2H and 14C isotopes, geochemistry and water-rock interactions
Get PDFIn an environment of volcanic and plutonic rocks such as the Central Hoggar, the knowledge of groundwater flows and their residence time is of prime importance. This is especially the case in the arid zone of Central Sahara where the main town of southernmost Algeria, Tamanrasset, with its rapidly growing population (>200,000 inhabitants extreme South of Algeria), put an important pressure on the local aquifers. Central Hoggar belongs to the LATEA metacraton, which is a Precambrian basement largely fractured and invaded by Cenozoic mostly basaltic volcanic rocks. In addition to superficial alluvial reservoirs, these two contrasted lithologies and large and deep faults determine the geometry of the aquifers and the nature and composition of water. We show here that distinct aquifers exist along faults oriented from NW-SE to NE-SW with no lateral communications. Some waters are in equilibrium with the Cenozoic volcanic system and others with the Precambrian basement although the latter bear often a Cenozoic volcanic signature attributed to volcanic coating along faults at depth. Alluvial, volcanic and Precambrian aquifers display contrasted measured pCO2 and specific conductivity (SC) values, stable (δ18O, δ2H), 87Sr/86Sr, 3H, δ13C and 14C isotopes. A major role is given to the Pan-African Adriane shear zone (ASZ), running just east of Tamanrasset, along which waters with high residence time (0.2<A14C < 45 pMC) are aligned in a 160 180 km long and 15 km wide corridor, including a natural soda spring (Tabahort). The latter have contrasted geochemical and isotopic signatures with respect to the other groundwaters originated from local evaporated precipitations. 87Sr/86Sr ratios vary from 0.70409 in volcanic aquifers to 0.72281 in Precambrian aquifers while C isotopes exhibit value from 0 to 117% pMC for 14C activity and δ13Cvalue from − 12.5 to − 2.12 vs VPDB. Trace elements are lower than the Maximum Admissible Concentration (MAC) except in the ASZ where Rb, Cs and U are found in higher concentrations elsewhere in Hoggar. This study enhances the peculiar status of the Central Hoggar groundwater aligned along the ASZ, close to the Tamanrasset City
