Publications
Yolk removal generates hatching asynchrony in snake eggs Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Hatching synchrony is wide-spread amongst egg-laying species and is thought to enhance offspring survival, notably by diluting predation risks. Turtle and snake eggs were shown to achieve synchronous hatching by altering development rates (where less advanced eggs may accelerate development) or by hatching prematurely (where underdeveloped embryos hatch concurrently with full-term embryos). In Natricine snakes, smaller eggs tend to slow down ...
Searching for hormonal facilitators: are vasotocin and mesotocin involved in parental care behaviors in poison frogs? Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Although the involvement of peptide hormones in parental care behaviors is well investigated in vertebrates, in amphibians the physiological basis of parental care is largely unknown. This is all the more surprising as parental care behaviors in these tetrapods are remarkably diverse. The poison frog Ranitomeya imitator performs biparental care, including clutch guarding, tadpole transportation and nutrient provisioning. Here we tested ...
Isolation of the highly pathogenic and zoonotic agent Burkholderia pseudomallei from a pet green iguana (Iguana iguana) in Belgium Ghent University
Neoplasia in reptiles : a retrospective study (2010-2015) Ghent University
Animals under wheels 2.0 Departement of spatial development, environment, energy, climate, green economy, animal welfare
Beauty is more than skin deep University of Antwerp
Initiation of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis infection in the absence of physical contact with infected hosts University of Antwerp
Only child syndrome in snakes: Eggs incubated alone produce asocial individuals Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Heartbeat, embryo communication and hatching synchrony in snake eggs Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Communication is central to life at all levels of complexity, from cells to organs, through to organisms and communities. Turtle eggs were recently shown to communicate with each other in order to synchronise their development and generate beneficial hatching synchrony. Yet the mechanism underlying embryo to embryo communication remains unknown. Here we show that within a clutch, developing snake embryos use heart beats emanating from ...