Research Area: Ecology - Zoology
Coordinators: Agnese Marchini, Anna Occhipinti, Renato Sconfietti
ERC sectors: LS8_2 Biodiversity; LS8_5 Biological aspects of environmental change, including climate change; LS8_13 Marine biology and ecology
1. Introduction of Alien Aquatic Species: Vectors and Impacts
Alien species are recognized as a major threat to biodiversity: ecological study of invasion processes is essential for identifying management strategies. In our laboratory, we study: population ecology and impacts of marine and freshwater alien species, particularly invertebrates; estimating invasion risk; and evaluating monitoring, prevention, and impact mitigation strategies. We are internationally recognized for our research on the introduction vector known as biofouling, the fouling of artificial substrates by living organisms. In collaboration with our Department's Micropaleontology Laboratory, we also study invasions by marine microorganisms. Our team also manages the database of Italian marine alien species for the SIBM – Italian Society of Marine Biology – and produces an annual national report on the status of introductions. Finally, since 2018, we have been collaborating with the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center to implement standardized monitoring of marine alien species in the Gulf of La Spezia. We also organize Summer Schools and Intensive Schools for Advanced Graduate Studies on fouling community sampling techniques and the taxonomic identification of major taxonomic groups.
2. Ecological Quality and Human Impacts in Aquatic Environments
Inland water bodies are often subject to various types of human impacts, including both the reduction of surrounding space and the release of wastewater, mostly related to urbanization and industrial activities. Therefore, biomonitoring of water quality and the timely assessment of the effects of these various impacts on the ecosystem through the application of appropriate biotic and environmental quality indices are essential. Since 2007, our laboratory has been responsible for environmental monitoring of the Vernavola canal in Pavia, in agreement with the Municipality of Pavia, which passes through an urban park. She studies the ecology and regeneration of river lateral environments; she focuses on specific cases related to the identification and study of the potential impacts of wastewater from various sources on lotic systems. In these ecosystems, she monitors the spread of certain alien benthic species in relation to their effects on the native biocoenosis.
Comune di Pavia; Parco Regionale del Ticino; FLA - Fondazione Lombardia per l'Ambiente; ARPA-Lombardia; ARPA-Emilia-Romagna; CNR-IRSA Verbania; ENEA - Centro Ricerche Ambiente Marino S. Teresa di Lerici (La Spezia); SIBM-Società Italiana di Biologia Marina; Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, USA; ICES-International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES); IMO-International Maritime Organisation
1. Gruppo Alloctoni SIBM (https://www.sibm.it/public/document-files/SIBM-Specie-aliene-presenti-nei-mari-italiani.pdf)
2. AquaNIS (http://www.corpi.ku.lt/databases/index.php/aquanis)
3. Un mattone contro le specie aliene (https://universitiamo.eu/en/campaigns/un-mattone-contro-le-specie-aliene/)
4. CEMAV
5. TROPHYC PRIN (https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554126095162)
6. IMO (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HwyDmIkwmaY; https://www.glofouling.imo.org/post/the-role-of-recreational-boating-in-the-spread-of-invasive-species)
1. Introduzione di specie aliene acquatiche: vettori e impatti
Santos-Simón, M., Ferrario, J., Benaduce-Ortiz, B., Ortiz-Zarragoitia, M., & Marchini, A. (2024). Assessment of the effectiveness of antifouling solutions for recreational boats in the context of marine bioinvasions. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 200, 116108.
Tamburini, M., Keppel, E., Marchini, A., Repetto, M. F., Ruiz, G. M., Ferrario, J., & Occhipinti-Ambrogi, A. (2021). Monitoring non-indigenous species in port habitats: first application of a standardized North American protocol in the Mediterranean Sea. Frontiers in Marine Science, 904.
Guastella, R., Marchini, A., Caruso, A., Evans, J., Cobianchi, M., Cosentino, C., ... & Mancin, N. (2021). Reconstructing Bioinvasion Dynamics Through Micropaleontologic Analysis Highlights the Role of Temperature Change as a Driver of Alien Foraminifera Invasion. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 678.
Vilizzi, L., Piria, M., Pietraszewski, D., Giannetto, D., Flory, S. L., Herczeg, G., ... & Yazlık, A. (2024). Development and application of a second-generation multilingual tool for invasion risk screening of non-native terrestrial plants. Science of the Total Environment, 917, 170475.
Ulman, A., Ferrario, J., Forcada, A., Seebens, H., Arvanitidis, C., Occhipinti‐Ambrogi, A., & Marchini, A. (2019). Alien species spreading via biofouling on recreational vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. Journal of Applied Ecology, 56(12), 2620-2629.
2. Qualità ecologica di ambienti acquatici
Paganelli, D., Zampolini, G., & Sconfietti, R. (2018). Case study of the Vernavola Stream (sub-lacustrine Ticino River basin, Northern Italy): the biological pollution of the Asiatic clam Corbicula fluminea (Müller, 1774). Limnetica, 37(1), 9-17.