
Dominique AdriaensGhent University | UGhent · Department of Biology
Dominique Adriaens
PhD
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364
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Introduction
Additional affiliations
October 2001 - present
March 1998 - September 2001
October 1992 - February 1998
Publications
Publications (364)
Fish aquaculture is frequently confronted with skeletal abnormalities. In gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata (Linnaeus, 1758)), opercular deformities are one of the most common types of deformities. Many studies point at potential causal factors, mainly genetic or nutritional. However, no clear consensus has surfaced yet, and other factors known to a...
In contrast to the well-studied articulated vertebrate jaws, the structure and function of cephalopod jaws remains poorly known. Cephalopod jaws are unique as the two jaw elements do not contact one another, are embedded in a muscular mass and connected through a muscle joint. Previous studies have described the anatomy of the buccal mass muscles i...
Brittle stars, unlike most other echinoderms, do not use their small tube feet for locomotion but instead use their flexible arms to produce a rowing or reverse rowing movement. They are among the fastest-moving echinoderms with the ability of complex locomotory behaviors. Considering the high species diversity and variability in morphotypes, a pro...
Burrowing is a ubiquitous behavior in vertebrates allowing animals to escape predators and gain access to novel resources in a relatively competitor-free environment. However, burrowing also imposes strong constraints. For example, as oxygen is limited in the sediment and in burrows, fish show specific anatomical, behavioral and physiological adapt...
Background
Syngnathids are a highly derived and diverse fish clade comprising the pipefishes, pipe‐horses, and seahorses. They are characterized by a plethora of iconic traits that increasingly capture the attention of biologists, including geneticists, ecologists, and developmental biologists. The current understanding of the origins of their deri...
Brittle stars are among the most active and fastest moving echinoderms. They have the ability to show complex locomotory behaviors and use their flexible arms to produce a coordinated movement. Despite the interest in their movement, little is known about the intra- and interspecies variation in arm flexibility and movement. We performed a two-dime...
The arms in brittle stars are supported by a series of articulated vertebrae, allowing a wide range of motion, important for feeding and locomotion. This study provides a 3D geometric morphometric investigation of vertebral shape variation in relation to different functional and ecological aspects of ophiuroid lifestyles. Six segments within one ar...
In limbless fossorial vertebrates such as caecilians (Gymnophiona), head-first burrowing imposes severe constraints on the morphology and overall size of the head. As such, caecilians developed a unique jaw-closing system involving the large and well-developed m. interhyoideus posterior, which is positioned in such a way that it does not significan...
Background
Syngnathids are a highly derived and diverse fish clade comprising the pipefishes, pipe-horses and seahorses. They are characterized by a plethora of iconic traits that increasingly capture the attention of biologists, including geneticists, ecologists and developmental biologists. The current understanding of the origins of their derive...
Caecilians are predominantly burrowing, elongate, limbless amphibians that remain relatively poorly studied. Although it has been suggested that the sturdy and compact skulls of caecilians are an adaptation to their head-first burrowing habits, no clear relationship between skull shape and burrowing performance appears to exist. However, the extern...
Ophiuroidea are one of the most diverse classes among extant echinoderms, characterized by their flexible arms composed of a series of ossicles called vertebrae, articulating with each other proximally and distally. Their arms show a wide range of motion, important for feeding and locomotion, associated with their epizoic and non-epizoic lifestyles...
In fossil tetrapods, limb bone histology is considered the most reliable tool not only for inferring skeletal maturity—a crucial assessment in palaeobiological and evolutionary studies—but also for evaluating the growth dynamics within the ontogenetic window represented by the primary bone cortex. Due to its complex relationship with bone growth an...
Caecilians are elongate, limbless and annulated amphibians that, as far as is known, all have an at least partly fossorial lifestyle. It has been suggested that elongate limbless vertebrates show little morphological differentiation throughout the postcranial skeleton. However, relatively few studies have explored the axial skeleton in limbless tet...
Caecilians are enigmatic limbless amphibians that, with a few exceptions all have an at least partly burrowing lifestyle. Although it has been suggested that caecilian evolution resulted in sturdy and compact skulls as an adaptation to their head-first burrowing habits, no relationship between skull shape and burrowing performance has been demonstr...
Brittle stars are one of the most diverse classes of echinoderms distributed worldwide in marine habitats. In this study, brittle stars were sampled by hand from the intertidal zone of the Persian Gulf's western part to the Oman Sea, from locations accessible without the need of a boat or diving equipment. Sampling time was set in the first days of...
The file contains comparison of Xper2 and Xper3 with DELTA (CSIRO and ALA) platforms in providing conventional and interactive keys in taxonomy. The direct links to work with both platforms are also included.
Caecilians are elongate, limbless, and annulated amphibians that, with the exception of one aquatic family, all have an at least partly fossorial lifestyle. It has been suggested that caecilian evolution resulted in sturdy and compact skulls with fused bones and tight sutures, as an adaptation to their head-first burrowing habits. However, although...
Ophiuroidea is the largest class among extant echinoderms, with over 2000 described species assigned to 33 families. Here, the first identification key to the recently revised classification was developed, and revised morphological descriptions were derived from it, expanding the previous short diagnoses. The key was built by analyzing internal and...
Synopsis
Previous studies have focused on documenting shape variation in the caudal vertebrae in chameleons underlying prehensile tail function. The goal of this study was to test the impact of this variation on tail function using multibody dynamic analysis (MDA). First, observations from dissections and 3D reconstructions generated from contrast-...
Chameleons are well equipped for an arboreal lifestyle, having “zygodactylous” hands and feet as well as a fully prehensile tail. However, to what degree tail use is preferred over autopod prehension has been largely neglected. Using an indoor experimental set-up, where chameleons had to cross gaps of varying distances, we tested the effect of subs...
Hybridization is suggested to contribute to ecomorphological and taxonomic diversity in lacustrine East African cichlids. This is supported by studies demonstrating that genetic diversity within lake radiations has been influenced by hybridization events, leading to extensive phenotypic differentiation of genetically closely related species. Hybrid...
Chameleons are well-equipped for an arboreal lifestyle, having zygodactylous hands and feet as well as a fully prehensile tail. However, to what degree tail use is preferred over autopod prehension has not been studied to date. Using an experimental set-up, where chameleons had to cross gaps of varying distances, we tested the effect of substrate d...
Ophiuroidea is one of the most diverse classes among extant echinoderms. They occupy marine habitats, ranging from the poles to the equator, from intertidal reefs to hadal depths of at least 6,500 m. The brittle star’s arm includes a series of vertebral ossicles, each articulating with other proximally and distally.
This articulated internal skele...
As body size strongly determines the biology of an organism at all levels, it can be expected that miniaturization comes with substantial structural and functional constraints. Dwarf snakes of the genus Eirenis are derived from big, surface‐dwelling ancestors, considered to be similar to those of the sister genus Dolichophis. To better understand t...
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) has been extensively studied, especially because of its highly specialized migratory behaviour associated with substantial phenotypic transformations. During this migration, one of those transformations the eel undergoes is from yellow to silver eel, a process known as silvering. Although the cranial morphology...
Phenotypic evolution can cause either divergent or convergent phenotypic patterns. Even adaptation to the same environment may result in divergence of some elements of phenotype, whereas for other morphological traits it could cause phenotypic convergence. We hypothesize that at least some phenotypic characters diverge monotonically, hence they evo...
Reptiles are still being described worldwide at a pace of hundreds of species a year. While many discoveries are from remote tropical areas, biodiverse arid regions still harbor many novel taxa. Here, we present an updated phylogeny of colubrid snakes from the Western Palearctic by analyzing a supermatrix of all available global snake species with...
The blue mussel Mytilus edulis is an intensely studied bivalve in biomonitoring programs worldwide. The lack of detailed descriptions of hemolymph-withdrawal protocols, particularly with regard to the place from where hemolymph could be perfused from, raises questions regarding the exact composition of aspirated hemolymph and does not exclude the p...
The European eel (Anguilla anguilla) is a critically endangered species, whose recruitment stocks have declined to nearly 1% compared to the late 70's. An amalgam of factors are responsible for this, amongst them migration barriers, pollution, habitat loss, parasite infection and overfishing. A lot of recent studies focus on aspects that can increa...
Chameleons (Chamaeleonidae) are known for their arboreal lifestyle, in which they make use of their prehensile tail. Yet, some species have a more terrestrial lifestyle, such as Brookesia and Rieppeleon species, as well as some chameleons of the genera Chamaeleo and Bradypodion. The main goal of this study was to identify the key anatomical feature...
Modern altricial birds are the fastest growing vertebrates, whereas various degrees of precocity (functional maturity) result in slower growth. Diaphyseal osteohistology, the best proxy for inferring relative growth rates in fossils, suggests that in the earliest birds, posthatching growth rates were more variable than in modern representatives, wi...
The class Ophiuroidea is the largest taxon among extant echinoderms, with over 2000 described species. In this study, the first interactive identification key for type species of 33 families of Ophiuroidea was developed and revised taxonomic diagnoses are provided. The key was built by internal and external characters including at least two mutuall...
Patterns of convergent evolution in head shape, combined with performance measures, provide ideal opportunities to understand the processes driving its evolution. Anole lizards represent an excellent subject to test this, as recurrent habitat specialists or ecomorphs evolved independently across different islands.
We show that phenotypic similarity...
jats:title>Abstract Invasive species represent a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary mechanisms driving range expansions. Although range expansion is expected to be associated with increased reproduction and dispersal at the range edge, Xenopus laevis seems to decrease its reproductive investment and to enhance dispersal at the range edge....
The use of biplanar high-speed x-ray fluoroscopy to study fast, 3D movements that are inaccessible from external views has grown significantly in the past decade. Owing to the development of specialised software for calibration, distortion correction, and automated tracking of radio-opaque marker implants, this technique will soon become the standa...
In this study, we describe an abnormal ectopically mineralized s tructure (EMS) thatwas found inside the skull of a juvenile Sparus aurata that also showed a bilateral opercular deformation. The overall phenotype and tissue composition were studied using micro‐CT scanning and histological analyses. The ectopic structure occupies
a large volume of t...
In this study, we describe an abnormal ectopically mineralized structure (EMS) that was found inside the skull of a juvenile Sparus aurata that also showed a bilateral opercular deformation. The overall phenotype and tissue composition were studied using micro‐CT scanning and histological analyses. The ectopic structure occupies a large volume of t...
Invasive species represent a unique opportunity to study the evolutionary mechanisms driving range expansions. Although range expansion is expected to be associated with increased reproduction and dispersal at the range edge, Xenopus laevis seems to decrease its reproductive investment and to enhance dispersal at the range edge. Evidence of increas...
Advances in X‐ray computed tomography (CT) have led to a rise in the use of non‐destructive imaging methods in comparative anatomy. Among these is contrast‐enhanced CT scanning, which employs chemical stains to visualize soft tissues. Specimens may then be ‘digitally dissected’, producing detailed, three‐dimensional digital reconstructions of the s...
The evolution of flight in birds involves (i) decoupling of the primitive mode of quadrupedal locomotor coordination, with a new synchronized flapping motion of the wings while conserving alternating leg movements, and (ii) reduction of wing digits and loss of functional claws. Our observations show that hoatzin nestlings move with alternated walki...
Sacroiliac joint (SIJ) biomechanics have been described in both in vitro and in vivo studies. A standard for joint coordinate systems has been created by the International Society of Biomechanics for most of the joints in the human body. However, a standardized joint coordinate system for sacroiliac joint motion analysis is currently still lacking....
For the first time social organisation was studied in a family of wild-caught Micklem's mole-rat Fukomys micklemi (Sekute cytotype 2n = 56) from Zambia. Fukomys mole-rats are chisel-tooth diggers, using the incisors to excavate burrow systems. Data were collected on work behaviour and analysed against morphological variables and biting performance,...
Skeletal deformities, one of the major threats for aquaculture, have been studied extensively. These include opercular malformations in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata), a key fish species for Mediterranean aquaculture. What is causing it and at what morphogenetic level it arises, however, is still unclear. Here we focus on bone formation, at the...
Sygnathids are agastric teleosts (no stomach), relying on a digestive tract using different mechanisms to process and absorb nutrients. This results in a low digestion efficiency at early stages, forming a mayor bottleneck in the rearing of these fish. In agastric species, the numerous goblet cells present in the oesophagus could be considered as a...
Geometric morphometrics is a better tool to evaluate the variation of shape than ‘traditional’ morphometrics. In reptiles, it outperforms morphometrics based on linear measurements and scalation. In an earlier study, two-dimensional outline-based geometric morphometrics in six species of rock lizards (Darevskia) showed that their shapes reflected t...
For the last several years, our lab has utilized a fine‐wire mouse enclosure to model low‐impact exercise as a potential intervention to enhance musculoskeletal mechanical properties (e.g., bone strength and skeletal muscle contractile force). The model consists of two enclosures: a fine‐wire (climbing) enclosure that mimics a fine‐branch arboreal...
TheMuraenidae, one of the largest cladeswithin the anguilliform fishes, exhibit an innovative feedingmechanism that allows them to
transport large prey items from the oral jaw all the way back towards the esophagus, using highly specialised pharyngeal jaws. This
study was conducted to show the degree to what trade-offs in muraenids may have arisen...
X-Ray micro-computed tomography (µ-CT) is a modern and cost-effective tool, which allow producing 3D images from small samples. We applied X-ray µ-CT to investigate the development of the digestive system in juveniles of the seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus. Juveniles were 5 ± 1 mg in weight and 15 ± 1 mm in length after male's pouch release. The di...
Over the next century, climate change of anthropogenic origin is a major threat to global biodiversity. We show here that developmental temperature can have significant effects on zebrafish cardiac anatomy and swimming performance. Zebrafish embryos were subjected to three developmental temperature treatments (TD = 24, 28 or 32 °C) up to metamorpho...
A caste system, based on work activity and reproduction, has been proposed in the two African mole-rat species which are generally considered eusocial, Heterocephalus glaber and Fukomys damarensis. Social behaviour in other Fukomys species is key to understanding evolution of sociality within bathyergids, which display a social continuum among spec...
Several aspects of the life cycle of the critically endangered European eel (Anguilla anguilla) remain poorly understood. One such aspect is the broad-versus narrow-head dimorphism, and how this impacts their overall performance at different stages of their life cycle. At the yellow eel stage, the phenotypes show a trophic divergence. We investigat...
In the present study, the hypothesis that the difference in axenic conditions in the incubation and rearing environment of European seabass larvae induces size and shape effects on the specimens is tested. This difference is studied between xenic and axenic seabass larvae of DAH (day after hatching) 0, 5, 11 and 15. The axenic rearing protocol invo...
A well‐known link exists between an organism's ecology and morphology. In the European eel, a dimorphic head has been linked to differences in feeding ecology, with broad‐headed eels consuming harder prey items than narrow‐headed ones. Consequently, we hypothesized that broad‐heads should exhibit a cranial musculoskeletal system that increases bite...
Despite electric pulse fishing being regarded as a promising environmentally friendly fishing method, very little is known about possible negative effects on early life stages of bottom‐dwelling species such as Sole Solea solea. Electrotrawling for brown shrimp Crangon crangon is increasingly used in shallow coastal zones and estuaries of the south...
A correction to this article has been published and is linked from the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has been fixed in the paper.
With their elongated forelimbs and variable aerial skills, paravian dinosaurs, a clade also comprising modern birds, are in the hotspot of vertebrate evolutionary research. Inferences on the early evolution of flight largely rely on bone and feather morphology, while osteohistological traits are usually studied to explore life-history characteristi...
The presence of two phenotypes in a single species is a widespread phenomenon, also observed in European eel (Anguilla anguilla). This dimorphism has been related to dietary differences in the subadult elver and yellow eel stages, with broad-heads generally feeding on harder and/or larger-bodied prey items than narrow-heads. Nevertheless, both broa...
The aim of the present study was to quantify the effects of antibiotic-induced differences in bacterial load on the size and shape of fish larvae, using Dicentrarchus labrax of day after hatching (DAH) 3 as a case study. They were split in two treatment groups and reared in 50 ml vials until DAH 14, with the control treatment (“NA”) including larva...
This work examined three different phenotypes of the yellow-eel stage of the European eel Anguilla anguilla, broad-heads, narrow-heads and eels with an intermediate head shape. The aim was to see whether broad-headed A. anguilla, which generally consume harder, larger prey, such as crustaceans and fish, exerted greater bite force than the narrow-he...
Mole-rats are known to use their protruding, chisel-like incisors to dig underground networks of tunnels, but it remains unknown how these incisors are used to break and displace the soil. Theoretically, different excavation strategies can be used. Mole-rats could either use their head depressor muscles to power scooping motions of the upper inciso...
Dietary partitioning often accompanies the increased morphological diversity seen during adaptive radiations within aquatic systems. While such niche partitioning would be expected in older radiations, it is unclear how significant morphological divergence occurs within a shorter time period. Here we show how differential growth in key elements of...
The aim of this study was to characterize histological changes during opercular osteogenesis in farmed gilthead sea bream Sparus aurata larvae from 7 to 69 days post hatching (dph) and compare normal osteogenesis with that of deformed opercles. Mild opercular deformities were first detected in 19 dph larvae by folding of the opercle's distal edge i...
One of the major challenges in evolutionary biology is to understand the mechanisms underlying morphological dimorphism and plasticity, including the genomic basis of traits and links to ecology. At the yellow eel stage of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla), two morphotypes are found: broad- and narrow-heads. This dimorphism has been linked to di...
The application of electrical pulses in fishing gear is considered a promising option to increase the sustainability of demersal trawl fisheries. In the electrotrawl fishery for brown shrimp, an electrical field selectively induces a startle response in shrimp. Other benthic organisms remain mainly on the seafloor and escape underneath a hovering t...
The genus Darevskia comprises over 20 species of small-bodied lizards, mainly occurring in the Caucasus Mountain Region. They show differences in body size, scalation and coloration, however, fully diagnostic characters that could separate the species with a high confidence level are still lacking. The early phylogenetic hypothesis of this group wa...
All syngnathid fishes are characterized by a tail with a vertebral column that is surrounded by dermal Plates − four per vertebra. Seahorses and pipehorses have prehensile tails, a unique characteristic among teleosts that allows them to grasp and hold onto substrates. Pipefishes, in contrast, possess a more rigid tail. Previous research (Neutens e...
The Pugnose Eel, Simenchelys parasitica (family Synaphobranchidae, subfamily Simenchelyinae), is a deep-water species described as both being a parasite and a scavenger that can bite off large chunks of flesh. Little, however, is known about its cranial morphology, including to what degree its feeding apparatus is modified to allow feeding speciali...