High-quality information and scientifically underpinned data is needed in support of decision tak... more High-quality information and scientifically underpinned data is needed in support of decision taking and good governance in coastal zones. Good governance does not only pursue effective policies and efficient administration. It also aims at building capacity and commitment within society, by supporting a flow of objective and reliable information towards the stakeholders and the wider public, and in a format that is useful and relevant for its purpose. A set of sustainability indicators (SI) addressing the complexity of ecological, environmental and socio-economic issues involved in achieving an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) can provide an answer in a format that is useful for policymakers and is an effective communication tool towards a wider range of stakeholders.
Free-living nematodes from littoral benthic sediments of four lakes, two rivers and a hot spring ... more Free-living nematodes from littoral benthic sediments of four lakes, two rivers and a hot spring in Ethiopia are studied. Populations of nematodes encountered are identified to the species level. The general nematode (generic and species) composition of the lakes, rivers and hot spring are appraised by giving special emphasis to the nematodes from L. Tana, i.e. three sites where different
-30-INTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF MICRO-POLLUTANTS IN THE BELGIAN COASTAL ZONE Cla... more -30-INTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF MICRO-POLLUTANTS IN THE BELGIAN COASTAL ZONE Claessens Michiel1, Karen Rappé2, Klaas Wille3, Els Monteyne4, Annelies Goffin5, Lynn Vanhaecke3, Herlinde Noppe3, Magda Vincx2, ...
Database : the journal of biological databases and curation, 2015
Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in ma... more Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in marine biodiversity research, especially when dealing with large databases that typically compile data from a variety of sources. Very few integrated databases offer quality flags on the level of the individual record, making it hard for users to easily extract the data that are fit for their specific purposes. This article describes the different steps that were developed to analyse the quality and completeness of the distribution records within the European and international Ocean Biogeographic Information Systems (EurOBIS and OBIS). Records are checked on data format, completeness and validity of information, quality and detail of the used taxonomy and geographic indications and whether or not the record is a putative outlier. The corresponding quality control (QC) flags will not only help users with their data selection, they will also help the data management team and the data custodi...
BACKGROUND: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metr... more BACKGROUND: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine species of the world and used this baseline to estimate how many more species, partitioned among all major eukaryotic groups, may be discovered. RESULTS: There are∼ 226,000 eukaryotic marine species described. More species were described in the past decade (∼ 20,000) than in any previous one. The ...
Anthropogenic chemicals that disrupt the hormonal systems (endocrine disruptors) of wildlife spec... more Anthropogenic chemicals that disrupt the hormonal systems (endocrine disruptors) of wildlife species recently have become a widely investigated and politically charged issue. Invertebrates account for roughly 95% of all animals, yet surprisingly little effort has been made to understand their value in signaling potential environmental endocrine disruption. This omission largely can be attributed to the high diversity of invertebrates and the shortage of fundamental knowledge of their endocrine systems. Insects and crustaceans are exceptions and, as such, appear to be excellent candidates for evaluating the environmental consequences of chemically induced endocrine disruption. Mysid shrimp (Crustacea: Mysidacea) may serve as a viable surrogate for many crustaceans and have been put forward as suitable test organisms for the evaluation of endocrine disruption by several researchers and regulatory bodies (e.g., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Despite the long-standing use of mysids in toxicity testing, little information exists on their endocrinology, and few studies have focused on the potential of these animals for evaluating the effects of hormone-disrupting compounds. Therefore, the question remains as to whether the current standardized mysid endpoints can be used or adapted to detect endocrine disruption, or if new procedures must be developed, specifically directed at evaluating hormone-regulated endpoints in these animals. This review summarizes the ecological importance of mysids in estuarine and marine ecosystems, their use in toxicity testing and environmental monitoring, and their endocrinology and important hormone-regulated processes to highlight their potential use in assessing environmental endocrine disruption.
High-quality information and scientifically underpinned data is needed in support of decision tak... more High-quality information and scientifically underpinned data is needed in support of decision taking and good governance in coastal zones. Good governance does not only pursue effective policies and efficient administration. It also aims at building capacity and commitment within society, by supporting a flow of objective and reliable information towards the stakeholders and the wider public, and in a format that is useful and relevant for its purpose. A set of sustainability indicators (SI) addressing the complexity of ecological, environmental and socio-economic issues involved in achieving an integrated coastal zone management (ICZM) can provide an answer in a format that is useful for policymakers and is an effective communication tool towards a wider range of stakeholders.
Free-living nematodes from littoral benthic sediments of four lakes, two rivers and a hot spring ... more Free-living nematodes from littoral benthic sediments of four lakes, two rivers and a hot spring in Ethiopia are studied. Populations of nematodes encountered are identified to the species level. The general nematode (generic and species) composition of the lakes, rivers and hot spring are appraised by giving special emphasis to the nematodes from L. Tana, i.e. three sites where different
-30-INTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF MICRO-POLLUTANTS IN THE BELGIAN COASTAL ZONE Cla... more -30-INTEGRATED RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING OF MICRO-POLLUTANTS IN THE BELGIAN COASTAL ZONE Claessens Michiel1, Karen Rappé2, Klaas Wille3, Els Monteyne4, Annelies Goffin5, Lynn Vanhaecke3, Herlinde Noppe3, Magda Vincx2, ...
Database : the journal of biological databases and curation, 2015
Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in ma... more Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in marine biodiversity research, especially when dealing with large databases that typically compile data from a variety of sources. Very few integrated databases offer quality flags on the level of the individual record, making it hard for users to easily extract the data that are fit for their specific purposes. This article describes the different steps that were developed to analyse the quality and completeness of the distribution records within the European and international Ocean Biogeographic Information Systems (EurOBIS and OBIS). Records are checked on data format, completeness and validity of information, quality and detail of the used taxonomy and geographic indications and whether or not the record is a putative outlier. The corresponding quality control (QC) flags will not only help users with their data selection, they will also help the data management team and the data custodi...
BACKGROUND: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metr... more BACKGROUND: The question of how many marine species exist is important because it provides a metric for how much we do and do not know about life in the oceans. We have compiled the first register of the marine species of the world and used this baseline to estimate how many more species, partitioned among all major eukaryotic groups, may be discovered. RESULTS: There are∼ 226,000 eukaryotic marine species described. More species were described in the past decade (∼ 20,000) than in any previous one. The ...
Anthropogenic chemicals that disrupt the hormonal systems (endocrine disruptors) of wildlife spec... more Anthropogenic chemicals that disrupt the hormonal systems (endocrine disruptors) of wildlife species recently have become a widely investigated and politically charged issue. Invertebrates account for roughly 95% of all animals, yet surprisingly little effort has been made to understand their value in signaling potential environmental endocrine disruption. This omission largely can be attributed to the high diversity of invertebrates and the shortage of fundamental knowledge of their endocrine systems. Insects and crustaceans are exceptions and, as such, appear to be excellent candidates for evaluating the environmental consequences of chemically induced endocrine disruption. Mysid shrimp (Crustacea: Mysidacea) may serve as a viable surrogate for many crustaceans and have been put forward as suitable test organisms for the evaluation of endocrine disruption by several researchers and regulatory bodies (e.g., the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency). Despite the long-standing use of mysids in toxicity testing, little information exists on their endocrinology, and few studies have focused on the potential of these animals for evaluating the effects of hormone-disrupting compounds. Therefore, the question remains as to whether the current standardized mysid endpoints can be used or adapted to detect endocrine disruption, or if new procedures must be developed, specifically directed at evaluating hormone-regulated endpoints in these animals. This review summarizes the ecological importance of mysids in estuarine and marine ecosystems, their use in toxicity testing and environmental monitoring, and their endocrinology and important hormone-regulated processes to highlight their potential use in assessing environmental endocrine disruption.
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Papers by Jan Mees