Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences

Tobias J.A., Sheard C., Pigot A.L., Devenish A.J., Yang J., Sayol F., Neate‐Clegg M.H., Alioravainen N., Weeks T.L., Barber R.A., Walkden P.A., MacGregor H.E., Jones S.E., Vincent C., Phillips A.G., et. al.

Functional traits offer a rich quantitative framework for developing and testing theories in evolutionary biology, ecology and ecosystem science. However, the potential of functional traits to drive theoretical advances and refine models of global change can only be fully realised when species-level information is complete. Here we present the AVONET dataset containing comprehensive functional trait data for all birds, including six ecological variables, 11 continuous morphological traits, and information on range size and location. Raw morphological measurements are presented from 90,020 individuals of 11,009 extant bird species sampled from 181 countries. These data are also summarised as species averages in three taxonomic formats, allowing integration with a global phylogeny, geographical range maps, IUCN Red List data and the eBird citizen science database. The AVONET dataset provides the most detailed picture of continuous trait variation for any major radiation of organisms, offering a global template for testing hypotheses and exploring the evolutionary origins, structure and functioning of biodiversity.

Piano E., Souffreau C., Merckx T., Baardsen L.F., Backeljau T., Bonte D., Brans K.I., Cours M., Dahirel M., Debortoli N., Decaestecker E., De Wolf K., Engelen J.M., Fontaneto D., Gianuca A.T., et. al.

The increasing urbanization process is hypothesized to drastically alter (semi-)natural environments with a concomitant major decline in species abundance and diversity. Yet, studies on this effect of urbanization, and the spatial scale at which it acts, are at present inconclusive due to the large heterogeneity in taxonomic groups and spatial scales at which this relationship has been investigated among studies. Comprehensive studies analysing this relationship across multiple animal groups and at multiple spatial scales are rare, hampering the assessment of how biodiversity generally responds to urbanization. We studied aquatic (cladocerans), limno-terrestrial (bdelloid rotifers) and terrestrial (butterflies, ground beetles, ground- and web spiders, macro-moths, orthopterans and snails) invertebrate groups using a hierarchical spatial design, wherein three local-scale (200 m × 200 m) urbanization levels were repeatedly sampled across three landscape-scale (3 km × 3 km) urbanization levels. We tested for local and landscape urbanization effects on abundance and species richness of each group, whereby total richness was partitioned into the average richness of local communities and the richness due to variation among local communities. Abundances of the terrestrial active dispersers declined in response to local urbanization, with reductions up to 85% for butterflies, while passive dispersers did not show any clear trend. Species richness also declined with increasing levels of urbanization, but responses were highly heterogeneous among the different groups with respect to the richness component and the spatial scale at which urbanization impacts richness. Depending on the group, species richness declined due to biotic homogenization and/or local species loss. This resulted in an overall decrease in total richness across groups in urban areas. These results provide strong support to the general negative impact of urbanization on abundance and species richness within habitat patches and highlight the importance of considering multiple spatial scales and taxa to assess the impacts of urbanization on biodiversity.

Engel M.S., Ceríaco L.M., Daniel G.M., Dellapé P.M., Löbl I., Marinov M., Reis R.E., Young M.T., Dubois A., Agarwal I., Lehmann A. P., Alvarado M., Alvarez N., Andreone F., Araujo-Vieira K., et. al.

Pahlevan N., Mangin A., Balasubramanian S.V., Smith B., Alikas K., Arai K., Barbosa C., Bélanger S., Binding C., Bresciani M., Giardino C., Gurlin D., Fan Y., Harmel T., Hunter P., et. al.

Atmospheric correction over inland and coastal waters is one of the major remaining challenges in aquatic remote sensing, often hindering the quantitative retrieval of biogeochemical variables and analysis of their spatial and temporal variability within aquatic environments. The Atmospheric Correction Intercomparison Exercise (ACIX-Aqua), a joint NASA – ESA activity, was initiated to enable a thorough evaluation of eight state-of-the-art atmospheric correction (AC) processors available for Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 data processing. Over 1000 radiometric matchups from both freshwaters (rivers, lakes, reservoirs) and coastal waters were utilized to examine the quality of derived aquatic reflectances ( ρ ̂ w ). This dataset originated from two sources: Data gathered from the international scientific community (henceforth called Community Validation Database, CVD), which captured predominantly inland water observations, and the Ocean Color component of AERONET measurements (AERONET-OC), representing primarily coastal ocean environments. This volume of data permitted the evaluation of the AC processors individually (using all the matchups) and comparatively (across seven different Optical Water Types, OWTs) using common matchups. We found that the performance of the AC processors differed for CVD and AERONET-OC matchups, likely reflecting inherent variability in aquatic and atmospheric properties between the two datasets. For the former, the median errors in ρ ̂ w 560 and ρ ̂ w 664 were found to range from 20 to 30% for best-performing processors. Using the AERONET-OC matchups, our performance assessments showed that median errors within the 15–30% range in these spectral bands may be achieved. The largest uncertainties were associated with the blue bands (25 to 60%) for best-performing processors considering both CVD and AERONET-OC assessments. We further assessed uncertainty propagation to the downstream products such as near-surface concentration of chlorophyll- a (Chl a ) and Total Suspended Solids (TSS). Using satellite matchups from the CVD along with in situ Chl a and TSS, we found that 20–30% uncertainties in ρ ̂ w 490 ≤ λ ≤ 743 nm yielded 25–70% uncertainties in derived Chl a and TSS products for top-performing AC processors. We summarize our results using performance matrices guiding the satellite user community through the OWT-specific relative performance of AC processors. Our analysis stresses the need for better representation of aerosols, particularly absorbing ones, and improvements in corrections for sky- (or sun-) glint and adjacency effects, in order to achieve higher quality downstream products in freshwater and coastal ecosystems. • Performances of eight state-of-the-art methods were examined. • Best-performers per optical water types were identified. • Best-performer's uncertainties across the visible bands are not uniformly

Hindell M.A., Reisinger R.R., Ropert-Coudert Y., Hückstädt L.A., Trathan P.N., Bornemann H., Charrassin J., Chown S.L., Costa D.P., Danis B., Lea M., Thompson D., Torres L.G., Van de Putte A.P., Alderman R., et. al.

Southern Ocean ecosystems are under pressure from resource exploitation and climate change1,2. Mitigation requires the identification and protection of Areas of Ecological Significance (AESs), which have so far not been determined at the ocean-basin scale. Here, using assemblage-level tracking of marine predators, we identify AESs for this globally important region and assess current threats and protection levels. Integration of more than 4,000 tracks from 17 bird and mammal species reveals AESs around sub-Antarctic islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans and over the Antarctic continental shelf. Fishing pressure is disproportionately concentrated inside AESs, and climate change over the next century is predicted to impose pressure on these areas, particularly around the Antarctic continent. At present, 7.1% of the ocean south of 40°S is under formal protection, including 29% of the total AESs. The establishment and regular revision of networks of protection that encompass AESs are needed to provide long-term mitigation of growing pressures on Southern Ocean ecosystems. Tracking data from 17 marine predator species in the Southern Ocean are used to identify Areas of Ecological Significance, the protection of which could help to mitigate increasing pressures on Southern Ocean ecosystems.

Librado P., Khan N., Fages A., Kusliy M.A., Suchan T., Tonasso-Calvière L., Schiavinato S., Alioglu D., Fromentier A., Perdereau A., Aury J., Gaunitz C., Chauvey L., Seguin-Orlando A., Der Sarkissian C., et. al.

AbstractDomestication of horses fundamentally transformed long-range mobility and warfare1. However, modern domesticated breeds do not descend from the earliest domestic horse lineage associated with archaeological evidence of bridling, milking and corralling2–4 at Botai, Central Asia around 3500 bc3. Other longstanding candidate regions for horse domestication, such as Iberia5 and Anatolia6, have also recently been challenged. Thus, the genetic, geographic and temporal origins of modern domestic horses have remained unknown. Here we pinpoint the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region, as the homeland of modern domestic horses. Furthermore, we map the population changes accompanying domestication from 273 ancient horse genomes. This reveals that modern domestic horses ultimately replaced almost all other local populations as they expanded rapidly across Eurasia from about 2000 bc, synchronously with equestrian material culture, including Sintashta spoke-wheeled chariots. We find that equestrianism involved strong selection for critical locomotor and behavioural adaptations at the GSDMC and ZFPM1 genes. Our results reject the commonly held association7 between horseback riding and the massive expansion of Yamnaya steppe pastoralists into Europe around 3000 bc8,9 driving the spread of Indo-European languages10. This contrasts with the scenario in Asia where Indo-Iranian languages, chariots and horses spread together, following the early second millennium bc Sintashta culture11,12.

Bergström A., Frantz L., Schmidt R., Ersmark E., Lebrasseur O., Girdland-Flink L., Lin A.T., Storå J., Sjögren K., Anthony D., Antipina E., Amiri S., Bar-Oz G., Bazaliiskii V.I., Bulatović J., et. al.

Dog domestication was multifaceted Dogs were the first domesticated animal, likely originating from human-associated wolves, but their origin remains unclear. Bergstrom et al. sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes from multiple locations near to and corresponding in time to comparable human ancient DNA sites (see the Perspective by Pavlidis and Somel). By analyzing these genomes, along with other ancient and modern dog genomes, the authors found that dogs likely arose once from a now-extinct wolf population. They also found that at least five different dog populations ∼10,000 years before the present show replacement in Europe at later dates. Furthermore, some dog population genetics are similar to those of humans, whereas others differ, inferring a complex ancestral history for humanity's best friend. Science, this issue p. 557; see also p. 522 Ancient dog genomes elucidate diversification and a complex genetic history relative to that of humans. Dogs were the first domestic animal, but little is known about their population history and to what extent it was linked to humans. We sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes and found that all dogs share a common ancestry distinct from present-day wolves, with limited gene flow from wolves since domestication but substantial dog-to-wolf gene flow. By 11,000 years ago, at least five major ancestry lineages had diversified, demonstrating a deep genetic history of dogs during the Paleolithic. Coanalysis with human genomes reveals aspects of dog population history that mirror humans, including Levant-related ancestry in Africa and early agricultural Europe. Other aspects differ, including the impacts of steppe pastoralist expansions in West and East Eurasia and a near-complete turnover of Neolithic European dog ancestry.

Matsuoka K., Skoglund A., Roth G., de Pomereu J., Griffiths H., Headland R., Herried B., Katsumata K., Le Brocq A., Licht K., Morgan F., Neff P.D., Ritz C., Scheinert M., Tamura T., et. al.

Quantarctica ( https://www.npolar.no/quantarctica ) is a geospatial data package, analysis environment, and visualization platform for the Antarctic Continent, Southern Ocean (>40 o S), and sub-Antarctic islands. Quantarctica works with the free, cross-platform Geographical Information System (GIS) software QGIS and can run without an Internet connection, making it a viable tool for fieldwork in remote areas. The data package includes basemaps, satellite imagery, terrain models, and scientific data in nine disciplines, including physical and biological sciences, environmental management, and social science. To provide a clear and responsive user experience, cartography and rendering settings are carefully prepared using colour sets that work well for typical data combinations and with consideration of users with common colour vision deficiencies. Metadata included in each dataset provides brief abstracts for non-specialists and references to the original data sources. Thus, Quantarctica provides an integrated environment to view and analyse multiple Antarctic datasets together conveniently and with a low entry barrier. • Quantarctica is the one-of-a-kind publicly available regional data package for Antarctica and Southern Ocean. • Quantarctica provides user-friendly mapping environment with a free GIS software QGIS. • Quantarctica includes 265 data layers in base maps, satellite imagery, terrain models, and scientific data.

Vanhellemont Q., Ruddick K.

The performance of different atmospheric correction algorithms for the Ocean and Land Colour Instrument (OLCI) on board of Sentinel-3 (S3) is evaluated for retrieval of water-leaving radiance reflectance, and derived parameters chlorophyll-a concentration and turbidity in turbid coastal waters in the Belgian Coastal Zone (BCZ). This is performed using in situ measurements from an autonomous pan-and-tilt hyperspectral radiometer system (PANTHYR). The PANTHYR provides validation data for any satellite band between 400 and 900 nm, with the deployment in the BCZ of particular interest due to the wide range of observed Near-InfraRed (NIR) reflectance. The Dark Spectrum Fitting (DSF) atmospheric correction algorithm is adapted for S3/OLCI processing in ACOLITE, and its performance and that of 5 other processing algorithms (L2-WFR, POLYMER, C2RCC, SeaDAS, and SeaDAS-ALT) is compared to the in situ measured reflectances. Water turbidities across the matchups in the Belgian Coastal Zone are about 20–100 FNU, and the overall performance is best for ACOLITE and L2-WFR, with the former providing lowest relative (Mean Absolute Relative Difference, MARD 7–27%) and absolute errors (Mean Average Difference, MAD -0.002, Root Mean Squared Difference, RMSD 0.01–0.016) in the bands between 442 and 681 nm. L2-WFR provides the lowest errors at longer NIR wavelengths (754–885 nm). The algorithms that assume a water reflectance model, i.e. POLYMER and C2RCC, are at present not very suitable for processing imagery over the turbid Belgian coastal waters, with especially the latter introducing problems in the 665 and 709 nm bands, and hence the chlorophyll-a and turbidity retrievals. This may be caused by their internal model and/or training dataset not being well adapted to the waters encountered in the BCZ. The 1020 nm band is used most frequently by ACOLITE/DSF for the estimation of the atmospheric path reflectance (67% of matchups), indicating its usefulness for turbid water atmospheric correction. Turbidity retrieval using a single band algorithm showed good performance for L2-WFR and ACOLITE compared to PANTHYR for e.g. the 709 nm band (MARD 15 and 17%), where their reflectances were also very close to the in situ observations (MARD 11%). For the retrieval of chlorophyll-a, all methods except C2RCC gave similar performance, due to the RedEdge band-ratio algorithm being robust to typical spectrally flat atmospheric correction errors. C2RCC does not retain the spectral relationship in the Red and RedEdge bands, and hence its chlorophyll-a concentration retrieval is not at all reliable in Belgian coastal waters. L2-WFR and ACOLITE show similar performance compared to in situ radiometry, but due to the assumption of spatially consistent aerosols, ACOLITE provides less noisy products. With the superior performance of ACOLITE in the 490–681 nm wavelength range, and smoother output products, it can be recommended for processing of S3/OLCI data in turbid waters similar to those encountered in the BCZ. The ACOLITE processor for OLCI and the in situ matchup dataset used here are made available under an open source license. • ACOLITE/DSF has been adapted for processing of OLCI data over turbid waters. • Multiple OLCI processors are compared to in situ hyperspectral PANTHYR measurements. • PANTHYR provides validation data for any satellite band between 400–900 nm. • Turbid water AC errors depend on whether the water reflectance is constrained or not. • Best results are found for ACOLITE, with the baseline L2-WFR product a close second.

Yaxley G.M., Anenburg M., Tappe S., Decree S., Guzmics T.

Carbonatites are igneous rocks formed in the crust by fractional crystallization of carbonate-rich parental melts that are mostly mantle derived. They dominantly consist of carbonate minerals such as calcite, dolomite, and ankerite, as well as minor phosphates, oxides, and silicates. They are emplaced in continental intraplate settings such as cratonic interiors and margins, as well as rift zones, and rarely on oceanic islands. Carbonatites are cumulate rocks, which are formed by physical separation and accumulation of crystals that crystallize from a melt, and their parental melts form by either ( a) direct partial melting of carbonate-bearing, metasomatized, lithospheric mantle producing alkali-bearing calciodolomitic melts or ( b) silicate-carbonate liquid immiscibility following fractional crystallization of carbonate-bearing, silica-undersaturated magmas such as nephelinites, melilitites, or lamprophyres. Their emplacement into the crust is usually accompanied by fenitization, alkali metasomatism of wallrock caused by fluids expelled from the crystallizing carbonatite.Carbonatites are major hosts of deposits of the rare earth elements and niobium, and the vast majority of the global production of these commodities is from carbonatites. ▪ Carbonatites are igneous rocks formed from carbonate-rich magmas, which ultimately formed in Earth's upper mantle. ▪ Carbonatites are associated with economic deposits of metals such as the rare earth elements and niobium, which are essential in high-tech applications. ▪ There are more than 600 carbonatites in the geological record but only one currently active carbonatite volcano, Oldoinyo Lengai in Tanzania.