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Introduction
Additional affiliations
July 2016 - June 2017
November 2012 - present
Education
October 2009 - February 2012
Publications
Publications (20)
Gallinara Island, a small island located 1.5 km off the shore of Liguria (Italy, north-western Mediterranean Sea) was included in a list of proposed Marine Protected Areas (MPA) in the early 90s. Since then, its benthic assemblages have been studied in detail and the main macrophytic communities have been mapped. A detailed assessment of its benthi...
The hydrozoan family Cladocorynidae inhabits tropical to temperate waters and comprises the two genera Pteroclava and Cladocoryne. Pteroclava lives in association with some octocorals and hydrozoans, whereas Cladocoryne is more generalist in terms of substrate choice. This work provides a thorough morpho-molecular reassessment of the Cladocorynidae...
Marionia gemmii Almón, Pérez & Caballer, 2018 has been described as a new species from six localities in Ría de Arousa, Galicia (North-Western Spain) and in the Golfe de Cádiz (Southern Spain), both within Atlantic waters. Old and new findings of this species from the North-Western Mediterranean radically expand its distribution and an in-depth stu...
Population dynamics in lower metazoans are strongly regulated by environmental factors. The running climate crisis could affect regularity of life strategies; therefore, studying life cycles and reproductive patterns of benthic species may provide key information on effects of environmental changes in temperate seas. The North Adriatic Sea is a pec...
This paper investigated the long-term changes (from 1973 to 2013) of the seagrass meadows of Zostera marina, Zostera noltei and Cymodocea nodosa in the Adriatic Sea subjected to multiple pressures. We examined the changes of the meadows by means of field data collection, observations and analysis of aerial photography to identify the most important...
Seagrass meadows play a key role in the provisioning of ecosystem goods and services. These systems are extremely vulnerable to multiple anthropogenic impacts. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop new techniques to efficiently restore degraded seagrass meadows. Here we tested the efficacy and efficiency of a new technique of seagrass trans...
The diversity of Porifera from Ponta do Ouro (Mozambique) has been evaluated; this paper presents the first taxonomic effort devoted to sponges in the area, while studies of closeby areas are quite dated. Overall, 55 specimens were examined, leading to 26 described species; among these, four are new (Hyattella sulfurea Calcinai & Belfiore sp. nov.,...
Schematic representation of the effects of presence and loss of Temperate Mesophotic Ecosystems (TMEs). (a–c) A healthy
TME (green circles) has a three-dimensional architecture hosting five main levels of benthic organisms (long-living animal forests,
epibionts, juveniles of vagile species, communities of the understorey and the endobenthos). This...
Animal forests enhance Mediterranean coralligenous habitat biodiversity and functioning. Their monitoring is paramount to assess the conservation status of the habitat and to plan restoration actions for addressing the Good Environmental Status as required by the EU legislation. Scuba diving investigations allow fine data collection up to -70 m but...
Mesophotic habitats, hosting benthic assemblages totally unknown and unexpected in the early 2000s, are attracting an increasing interest from scientists. Realizing that many long living and habitat forming species are playing a unique pocket of biodiversity in the frame of climate crisis, it is important to recognize the potential of the mesophoti...
The temperate coralligenous bioconcretions are mainly built by the accumulation of encrusting coralline algae growing at low irradiance levels. They harbour approximately 10% of marine Mediterranean species (about 1600 species), including long-lived algae and invertebrates. Enhanced by climate change, several pressures affect coralligenous assembla...
The temperate coralligenous bioconcretions are mainly built by the accumulation of encrusting coralline algae growing at low irradiance levels. They harbour approximately 10% of marine Mediterranean species (about 1600 species), including long-lived algae and invertebrates. Enhanced by climate change, several pressures affect coralligenous assembla...
Lytocarpia myriophyllum, the biggest hydroid of the Mediterranean, lives at soft bottoms. It is severely threatened by bottom trawling activities. To assess its possible influence on trophodynamics and biodiversity of surrounding sediments, we compared the organic matter content and biochemical composition, and meiofaunal biodiversity in sediments...
In the Mediterranean Sea, as well as in other parts of the word, intense bottom trawling threatens deep and mesophotic assemblages, compromising mainly the survivorship of erect organisms and of the habitat complexity they shape. Protection of species able to affect their habitats, by increasing spatial complexity and enhancing interspecific intera...
