ZOOLOGY 2014 21st Benelux Congress of Zoology Liege, Belgium 12 &13 December 2014 Organised by the Royal Belgian Zoological Society (RBZS) http://rbzs.myspecies.info Royal Dutch Zoological Society (RDZS) http://kndv.science.ru.nl Cover drawing: Pierre Bailly (www.petitpoilu.com) Abstract book: Edited by Gilles LEPOINT, Loïc MICHEL, Joseph SCHNITZLER and Nicolas STURARO Official sponsors Food, drinks & musical animation Special thanks to… Extra information at the end of the book WELCOME Mister Chairmans of the Belgium and Dutch societies of zoology, Dear colleagues, Dear students As dean of the faculty of sciences of the University of Liège, this is a great pleasure for me to welcome your participation at this two thousand fourtheen edition of the meeting of the Benelux congress of zoology. You are indeed welcome within this prestigious Institute, named after Edouard Van Beneden who was the first to describe the meiosis and whose statue you passed when you entered the building entrance, just next to this of Théodore Schwan, the father of the cellular theory. This meeting is certainly a very good occasion for gathering people interested in animal diversity and more generally in biodiversity, if I refer to the topics of the meeting that overview most fields of zoological approaches, from genetic to environment. You are at the rendez-vous and about 300 of you answered positively to the invitation of the organizers. This is already a success and I would like to congratulate the organizing committee. This meeting is also mainly an opportunity for young scientists, probably the first one, to present the results of their master thesis as a scientific communication, in an international conference. Indeed, in a close future, some of them will travel the world to communicate their research. Some will become renowned scientists, but all of them will always remind their first public presentation and the first contacts they established during this Benelux Congress of Zoology. I wish you an excellent stay, both scientifically and socially. This Institute is housing a Museum of Zoology that reflects the evolution of species but also the Aquarium Marcel Dubuisson. In fact I hope you will feel in your element, or as we say in French « as a fish in water » during your stay. Prof. Dr. Pascal Poncin Dean of the Sciences Faculty University of Liège WELCOME The Royal Zoological Society of Belgium and the University of Liège are happy to welcome you to the 21st Benelux Congress of Zoology, which will be held at the Institute of Zoology, in the historic centre of Liège. Since more than 150 years, these two institutions have a long scientific tradition devoted to the promotion of zoology and to the publication of research in zoology. The Royal Zoological Society of Belgium connects zoology researchers throughout Belgium and abroad, providing a network for both, junior and senior members, who benefit through contacts and collaboration. This society also publishes the Belgian Journal of Zoology, which is distributed in various institutions in more than 50 countries in the world. This journal gives the opportunity to publish high quality studies in a large area of scientific scopes. Moreover, since 21 years, the Royal Belgian and Dutch Zoological Societies co-organised congresses of zoology and it is a great pleasure that this year, it will be organised in the walls of the University of Liège. The University of Liège houses 3300 professors and researchers working in more than 470 research units. Concerning Zoology, the University developed this field of research since its creation in 1817. During these last two centuries, thousands of researches were developed in a large number of topics, including marine and terrestrial zoology. One of the most renowned researches is probably the discovery of the meiosis and mitosis processes by Edouard Van Beneden, in 1883. He’s also at the origin of the construction of the Institute of Zoology where the congress will take place this year. But the city of Liège is also highly renowned for its warm and kind hospitality, its historic centre and many good Walloon specialities. In the name of the Royal Zoological Society of Belgium, it is a great pleasure and honour to welcome you in Liège where we hope that you will appreciate the proposed topics and talks as well as the legendary hospitality of the people from Liège. Dr. Johan Michaux President of the Royal Zoological Society of Belgium CONTENTS Organising & scientific committee 8 General information 11 Detailed programme 15 Keynote lectures 27 Kets award lecture 32 Lecture abstracts 34 Poster abstracts 104 List of participants 257 Author index 272 Sponsors 276 Notes 285 ORGANISING & SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Organising committee Dr. Gilles LEPOINT University of Liège, BE (Coordinator) Dr. Loïc MICHEL University of Liège, BE Dr. Joseph SCHNITZLER University of Liège, BE Dr. Nicolas STURARO University of Liège, BE Scientific committee Prof. Dr. Dominique ADRIAENS Ghent University, BE Prof. Dr. Ellen DECAESTECKER Catholic University of Leuven, BE Dr. Bruno FRÉDÉRICH University of Liège, BE Dr. Jan HERR Nature and Forest Administration, LU Prof. Dr. Jan KAMMENGA Wageningen University, NL Prof. Dr. Peter KLAREN Radboud University of Nijmegen, NL Dr. Gilles LEPOINT University of Liège, BE Dr. Patrick MARDULYN Free University of Brussels, BE Prof. Dr. Johan MICHAUX University of Liège, BE Dr. Loïc MICHEL University of Liège, BE Prof. Dr. Jean-Christophe PLUMIER University of Liège, BE Dr. Stéphane ROBERTY University of Liège, BE Monaco Scientific Center, FR Dr. Laurent SCHLEY Nature and Forest Administration, LU Dr. Joseph SCHNITZLER University of Liège, BE Prof. Dr. Isa SCHÖN Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, BE Prof. Dr. Frédéric SILVESTRE University of Namur, BE Dr. Nicolas STURARO University of Liège, BE 8 Board members of the Royal Belgian Zoological Society Prof. Dr. Dominique ADRIAENS Ghent University Prof. Dr. Tom ARTOIS Hasselt University Prof. Dr. Ronny BLUST Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Luc BRENDONCK Catholic University of Leuven Prof. Dr. Frits DE VREE – FRET Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Ellen DECAESTECKER, Catholic University of Leuven Dr. Niels DESMET Ghent University Prof. Dr. Pierre DEVOS University of Namur Prof. Dr. Philippe HELSEN Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Roger HUYBRECHTS Catholic University of Leuven Prof. Dr. Guy JOSENS Free University of Brussels Prof. Dr. Jan KENNIS Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Éric LE BOULENGÉ Catholic University of Louvain Prof. Dr. Herwig LEIRS Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Luc LENS Ghent University Dr. Gilles LEPOINT University of Liège Dr. Patrick MARDULYN Free University of Brussels Dr. Patricia MERGEN Royal Museum for Central Africa Prof. Dr. Johan MICHAUX University of Liège Dr. Denis MICHEZ University of Mons Prof. Dr. Jean-Christophe PLUMIER University of Liège Dr. Stéphane ROBERTY University of Liège Monaco Scientific Center, FR Prof. Dr. Isabelle SCHÖN Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences Prof. Dr. Frédéric SILVESTRE University of Namur Mr. Michel SWITTEN Antwerp University Prof. Dr. Hans VAN DYCK Catholic University of Louvain Prof. em. Dr. Oscar VANDERBORGHT Antwerp University Dr. Erik VERHEYEN Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences 9 Board members of the Royal Dutch Zoological Society Dr. Jan KAMMENGA Wageningen University Dr. Peter HM KLAREN Radboud University Nijmegen Dr. Lia HEMERIK Wageningen University Charlotte VERMEULEN, M.Sc. Natura Artis Magistra Prof. Dr. Eddy A. VAN DER ZEE University of Groningen Annemarieke SPITZEN, M.Sc. Reptile, Amphibian and Fish Conservation 10 GENERAL INFORMATION Scan QR code Venue Zoology 2014 will take place at University of Liège’s Zoology Institute. The Zoology Institute is nicely located on the banks of the River Meuse, in the center of the town. Practical info on how to reach it can be found at www.zoology2014.ulg.ac.be/travel-accommodation/how-to-get-there The Zoology Institute was opened in the end of the 19th century, and over the years, it has been the home of world-renowned zoologists such as Edouard Van Beneden, who discovered meiosis, and Marcel Dubuisson. It provides a perfect setting to accomodate an animal biology conference. Moreover, it also hosts the Liège Aquarium and Zoology Museum. All registered attendees of Zoology 2014 will benefit from free access to the exhibits of the Aquarium and the Museum for the duration of the conference. Registration desk Friday, December 12 8.00-12.45 Saturday, December 13 8.00-12.30 Contact information [email protected] Internet wifi Username: f019838 Password: oVgw5287 Emergencies General 112 Ambulance 100 Police 101 Internal alert 4444 11 Regular sessions Zoology 2014 will welcome oral presentations and posters from researchers from all fields of Animal Sciences (ethology, ecology, oceanology and hydrobiology, taxonomy, morphology, evolutionary biology, paleontology, physiology, cellular and molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, etc.). Zoology 2014 is aimed at researchers at all stages of their scientific career, from master students to confirmed, tenured scientists. Students will have the possibility to enter a contest for the award for the best presentation. Young (i.e. non-tenured) postdoctoral researchers will have the opportunity to apply for a double presentation slot, giving them ample time to present their research. Special sessions: Techniques The first technical session will be chaired by Prof. Ellen DECAESTECKER (KULeuven). It will focus on techniques currently widely applied in molecular genetics. It will feature talks by Dr. Gipsi LIMA-MENDEZ on metagenomics of microbiomes, by Dr. Jeroen VAN HOUDT (KULeuven) on second & third generation sequencing techniques, and by Prof. Frederick HENDRICKX (UGent) on RAD sequencing. The second technical session will be chaired by Dr. Gilles LEPOINT (ULg) and sponsored by Elementar. It will be centered on methods to study trophic interactions and food web structure. Topics will include stable isotope ratios of light biogenic elements (C, H, O, N, S ; Dr. Gilles LEPOINT, ULg), use of fatty acids as trophic markers (Dr. Marleen DE TROCH, UGent), examination of gut contents, and compared pros and cons of each method (Dr.