Giacomo Santini

University of Florence | UNIFI · Dipartimento di Biologia

The phylogeography and demographical history of Italian Formica pratensis populations were examined and compared with the Eurasian-wide dataset available for this species and the other red wood ant species Formica lugubris . Forty-eight workers belonging to eight populations from both Alps and Apennines were analysed sequencing a 1.5-kilobase mitoc...

Understanding how microbial communities survive in extreme environmental pressure is critical for interpreting ecological patterns and microbial diversity. Great Gobi A Strictly Protected Area represents an intriguing model for studying the bacterial community since it is a protected and intact wild area of the Mongolian desert. In this work, the c...

Alternative methods to achieve sustainable agricultural production while reducing the use of chemical pesticides, such as biological control, are increasingly needed. The exploitation of trait-mediated indirect interactions (TMIIs), in which pests modify their behavior in response to some cues (e.g., pheromones and other semiochemicals) to avoid pr...

The topmouth gudgeon Pseudorasbora parva is one of the worst invasive species worldwide and is considered to be highly plastic in terms of its phenotype but also behavioral ecology. Here, we analyzed the population structure and the morphological and dietary plasticity of four populations of P. parva across the four seasons within the Arno River ba...

In Europe, the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius (L.) (Hemiptera Aphrophoridae) is the main vector of the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa Wells et al., the etiological agent of the Olive Quick Decline Syndrome. The froth produced by spittlebug nymphs has a primary function in protecting the insect from dehydration and thermal stress. It is also ac...

Ants are widespread in all terrestrial habitats, and competitive interactions between species are common. Although redistribution of food within a colony may buffer the negative effects of temporary resource shortages, colony functionality can be compromised when famine is prolonged. One of the possible effects of famine is impairment of the fighti...

The variation in the typical black-reddish color of red wood ants (Formica rufa group) has been recently suggested as a good indicator of habitat quality, being dependent on environmental conditions. However, the relative contribution of external factors and heritability in shaping this trait is poorly investigated. In this study, we compared the f...

Red wood ants are ecologically dominant species that affect the composition of the invertebrate community. In the past century, one of these species, Formica paralugubris (Seifert 1996), was introduced outside its native area (the Alps), in the Apennines (Italy). Here we investigated the effect of the presence of an introduced population of F. para...

Random walks are common in nature and are at the basis of many different phenomena that span from neutrons and light scattering to the behaviour of animals. Despite the evident differences among all these phenomena, theory predicts that they all share a common fascinating feature known as Invariance Property (IP). In a nutshell, IP means that the m...

Despite several restrictions to their use, neonicotinoid insecticides are still widely employed worldwide. Residual sub-lethal amounts of these chemicals can have detrimental effects on the behavior of non-target insects. Toxic effects on economically important species such as bees have been widely documented, but less is known about their toxic ac...

The Formica rufa group comprises several ant species which are collectively referred to as “red wood ants” and play key roles in boreal forest ecosystems, where they are ecologically dominant and greatly influence habitat dynamics. Owing to their intense predatory activity, some of these species are used as biocontrol agents against several forest...

Assessing the spatiotemporal behaviour of alien species is pivotal to designing effective management plans. Interspecific niche partitioning among ungulates is reported as a strategy to avoid direct interactions. The Mediterranean mouflon and wild boar are two ungulates introduced to Elba island for hunting and aesthetic purposes. We used intensive...

Red wood ants (RWAs) are a group of keystone species widespread in temperate and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere. Despite this, there is increasing evidence of local declines and extinctions. We reviewed the current protection status of RWAs throughout Europe and their International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) threat class...

The massive use of plastic has contributed to huge quantities of hazardous refuse at a global scale and represents one of the most prominent issues of the Anthropocene. Microplastics (MPs) have been detected in almost all environments and pose a potential threat to a variety of plant and animal species. Many studies have reported a variety of effec...

The use of camera traps to estimate population size when animals are not individually recognizable is gaining traction in the ecological literature, because of its applicability in population conservation and management. We estimated population size of synthetic animals with four camera trap sampling-based statistical models that do not rely on ind...

The Formica rufa group comprises several ant species which are collectively referred to as "red wood ants" (hereafter RWA). These species have key roles in forest ecosystems, where they are ecologically dominant and greatly influence the dynamics of the habitat they colonise. Various studies have shown how their trophic activity may affect other or...

Ants belonging to the Formica rufa group build large nest mounds, which aid their survival during severe winters. We investigated whether different environmental features of the habitats affected the nest mound shape and the population structure. We assessed the shape of all the nest mounds and mapped inter-nest trails connecting mounds for three i...

Semi-natural grasslands are characterized by high biodiversity and require multifaceted approaches to monitor their biodiversity. Moreover, grasslands comprise a multitude of microhabitats, making the scale of investigation of fundamental importance. Despite their wide distribution, grasslands are highly threatened and are considered of high conser...

Red wood ants are ecologically important species in Europe that form large colonies. Their nest mounds are characterized by stable microclimatic conditions, that are favourable to the development of rich invertebrate and microbial communities. Through their respiration processes, all these inhabitants contribute to the total gas emissions of the mo...

The Sasso Fratino Integral Nature Reserve (Italy) aims to protect nature and territory. Since no anthropic activities are allowed, it represents a good model to study the bacterial community of a wild environment. The aim of this work was to characterise the cultivable and the total bacterial community of soil samples from the reserve in terms of t...

Behavioral interference and interspecific competition shape the spatiotemporal behavior of carnivores, where intra-guild predation has been recorded as a strategy to limit competition. Very often, disentangling the effect of intra-guild effects from other ecological processes is challenging, if not impossible. This work aimed to assess the spatiote...

Invasive species are one of the main threats to biodiversity worldwide and the processes enabling their establishment and persistence remain poorly understood. In generalist consumers, plasticity in diet and trophic niche may play a crucial role in invasion success. There is growing evidence that invasive ants, in particular, occupy lower trophic l...

Insect societies require an effective communication system to coordinate members’ activities. Although eusocial species primarily use chemical communication to convey information to conspecifics, there is increasing evidence suggesting that vibroacoustic communication plays a significant role in the behavioural contexts of colony life. In this stud...

1. Different habitat types are generally associated with shifts in ant species and traits, and even along a micro‐scale woodland–grassland gradient, ant biodiversity may change at the edge proximities as a result of abiotic alterations. However, to the best of authors' knowledge, the changes in ant diversity along this type of gradient are understu...

This study aimed to characterise the gut microbiome composition of European hares (Lepus europaeus) and its potential changes after a short-term diet modification. The high sensitivity of European hare to habitat changes makes this species a good model to analyse possible alterations in gut microbiome after the introduction of additional nourishmen...

Throughout the Mediterranean basin, the long-term interaction between human activities and natural processes has led to the formation of unique ecosystems whose biodiversity may be higher than that of the “original” systems. This is particularly true in the case of transformations of continuous stretches of closed forest into a complex mosaic of op...

The decomposition of beta-diversity (β-diversity) into its replacement (βrepl) and richness (βrich) components in combination with a taxonomic and functional approach, may help to identify processes driving community composition along environmental gradients. We aimed to understand which abiotic and spatial variables influence ant β-diversity and i...

Where allochthonous large mammals, such as the wild boars, occur in high density, human-wildlife conflicts may arise. Thus, assessing their spatio-temporal patterns is paramount to their management. We studied the wild boars on Elba island, Italy, where they have been introduced and are perceived as pests to address their occurrence and impact of f...

Stable isotope analysis of animal tissues is commonly used to infer diet and trophic position. However, it requires destructive sampling. The analysis of carbon isotopes from exhaled CO2 is non‐invasive and can provide useful ecological information because isotopic CO2 signatures can reflect the diet and metabolism of an animal. However, this metho...

In the second half of the twentieth century, many red wood ant populations were transferred from the Alps to the Apennines as biological control agents. Since the introduction involved the relocation of entire nest mounds, it is presumable that the associated fauna was also relocated. While the introduction of these ants has raised several concerns...

Glyphosate is a systemic herbicide still used in many countries, though there are several known detrimental effects on animals. Previous studies concerning its effects on social insects are available, but they are primarily focused on honeybees; little is known about the interactions of this compound with ants. Here, we assessed whether different c...

Crematogaster scutellaris is a common tree-nesting ant in Mediterranean olive groves, where it acts as both predator and soft scale insect tender. We aimed to quantify the predatory action of this species and assess whether it influences the distribution of soft scale insects. Predation was investigated through experiments using live prey. The mutu...

Mediterranean drylands are particularly vulnerable to predicted increases in aridity which are expected to have negative consequences for biodiversity. To understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems, a framework for the selection of indicators based on the essential biodiversity variables (EBV) was proposed. In this framework, a function...

Most studies on ungulate reproduction have focused on the covariates of male reproductive success, while there is much less information on female tactics of mate choice. The aim of this work is to fill this gap and to assess condition-dependent variations in female tactics in a lekking fallow deer (Dama dama) population. In particular, we investiga...

The myrmecophilous beetle Monotoma conicicollis Chevrolat, 1837 (Cucujoidea: Monotomidae) is recorded for the first time in the Apennines in a nest of Formica paralugubris Seifert, 1996 (Formicidae). Since nests of this ant species were translocated from Alps in the past, two possible scenarios about the occurrence of this beetle are discussed: a s...

In this study, we investigated the effect of starvation on the feeding behavior of the ant Tapinoma nigerrimum. In particular, we tested the response of ants that had experienced different levels of starvation, toward sucrose solutions of increasing concentration. As expected, starved ants promptly reacted to the sugary food sources with a higher r...

Among eusocial Hymenoptera, ants represent an unrivalled example of diversity in number of queens and mating systems. Ant colonies may have one (monogyny) or several queens (polygyny) which can mate once (monoandry) or several times (polyandry). In this study, we analysed the genetic structure and breeding system of the Mediterranean acrobat ant Cr...

Population assessment is indispensable for appropriate and socially acceptable conservation and management of wildlife populations. This article critiques the paper by Campos‐Candela et al. 2018 and highlights issues that could lead to inappropriate management and conservation policies. image

Limpets and barnacles are important components of intertidal assemblages worldwide. This study examines the effects of barnacles on the foraging behaviour of the limpet Patella vulgata , which is the main algal grazer in the North-west Atlantic. The behaviour of limpets on a vertical seawall on the Isle of Man (UK) was investigated using autonomous...

During the second half of the XIX century, several species of red wood ants (Formica rufa group) were used as biological control agents and introduced to the Italian Apennine mountains where they were formerly absent. Among these, Formica lugubris was the most widely introduced alien species. In 1996, however, a taxonomic revision defined two sibli...

Research and Methods applied Reynoutria x bohemica is an invasive species, causing significant damages to native ecosystems in North America and Europe. In this work, we performed an in‐depth micromorphological characterization of the extrafloral nectaries (EFN), during their secretory and post‐secretory phases, in combination with field monitoring...

Preserving species within protected areas (PAs) does not guarantee adequate levels of protection if not coupled with conservation of functional connectivity for a target species. We propose an analytical framework to assess the effectiveness of PAs in preserving habitat and functional connectivity for mobile vertebrates. We implemented it in centra...

Vector navigation, i.e., maintaining a constant heading for a given amount of time, is hypothesized to provide a viable basis for the navigational feats of a number of long-distance animal migrants. Since animals following this strategy are subject to drift by wind or by ocean current, performing long migrations relying on vector navigation is part...

One of the main tasks a freshly mated ant queen has to face is to find a safe and suitable nest site to start a new colony. Colony foundation by associated queens, also known as pleometrosis, has been described for several ant species and, under specific selective pressures, represents an alternative to independent colony foundation. Despite most n...

Starting in 1958, red wood ants (Formica rufa group) from the Alps were transplanted to several Apennine forests along the Italian peninsula to be employed as biological control agents for tree insect pests. In the Campigna Biogenetic Nature Reserve, central Italy, hundreds of mounds of the dominant Formica paralugubris were repeatedly introduced,...

In this study, we explored the feeding behaviour of the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus. In particular, we investigated its ability to select the more profitable resource in a binary choice and its pheromonal trail marking. When facing a choice between two different energy sources, workers were rapidly recruited to the most profitable one, alt...

Polistes paper wasps have striking and variable colour patterns. Although these colour patterns are known to function in communication, little is known about how they affect fitness in relation to the abiotic environment. In the present study, we used dried-preserved museum specimens, comprising male and female Polistes from all over the world, aim...

Sexual selection is an intense evolutionary force, which operates through competition for the access to breeding resources. There are many cases where male copulatory success is highly asymmetric, and few males are able to sire most females. Two main hypotheses were proposed to explain this asymmetry: “female choice” and “male dominance”. The liter...

Agriculture is one of the dominant types of soil use throughout the world, and understanding patterns of species distributions across agroecosystems is a significant challenge for the future. The intensive use of agrochemicals affects the presence and distribution of several taxa, and organic agricultural methods are believed to be more environment...

Weierstrassian Lévy walks are the archetypical form of random walk that do not satisfy the central limit theorem and are instead characterized by scale invariance. They were originally regarded as a mathematical abstraction but subsequent theoretical studies showed that they can, in principle, at least, be generated by chaos. Recently, Weierstrassi...

Tropical forests generally host high biodiversity and are important sources of ecological, socio-cultural and economic services. There are also many sacred forests in many parts of the world, including burial sites in Gobeya rural administrative, having a significant ecological and socioeconomic value. This study aims to quantify species diversity,...

Natural habitats with serpentine soils are rich in heavy metal ions, which may significantly affect ecological communities. Exposure to metal pollutants results, for instance, in a reduction of population genetic diversity and a diffused higher tolerance towards heavy metals. In this study, we investigated whether chronic exposure to metals affect...

The invasive garden ant, Lasius neglectus, is a dominant species due to its capacity to form large supercolonies. This species was assumed to possess a wide thermal niche since it is able to adapt to cold climates, which is a factor that boosted its rapid expansion from south to many central-northern European Countries. However, the effect of varia...

A trophic niche overlap in native and alien turtle species can lead to competitive interactions whereby allochthonous turtles may outcompete autochthonous individuals and eventually affect viability of natural populations. The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is an autochthonous species threatened by habitat encroachment and competition with...

Human-induced environmental alterations, e.g. the introduction of alien species and the application of management practices, together with climatic change, represent the main threat to worldwide amphibian conservation. Long-term monitoring pro- grammes are mandatory to monitor the status of amphibian populations in changing landscapes and climatic...

Ants’ feeding habits are affected by individual and collective needs, which may vary among seasons. In this study, we tested the food preferences of the Mediterranean ant Crematogaster scutellaris toward sucrose and amino acid solutions at increasing concentrations, during spring and summer, by analyzing individual choices and mass recruitment in t...

Lasius neglectus is one of the most invasive ants in Europe, from the Mediterranean basin to northern islands. This species seems to possess a wide spectrum of temperature tolerance, in particular towards cold climates. Here we test how its direct competitive ability versus two Mediterranean dominant ant species, Crematogaster scutellaris and Tapin...

Nest-mate recognition plays a key role in the biology of ants. Although individuals coming from a foreign nest are, in most cases, promptly rejected, the degree of aggressiveness towards non nest-mates may be highly variable among species and relies on genetic, chemical and environmental factors. We analyzed intraspecific relationships among neighb...

Sexual selection is a fundamental evolutionary force which operates (i) through competition between individuals for access to breeding partners and (ii) through female mate selection, leading to the evolution of exagerated ornamentation in males which are used to prove their genetic quality (Darwin,1871). Fallow deer (Dama dama) can use an alternat...

Little is known about the potentially disrupting effects of wind farms on the habitat connectivity of flying vertebrates at the landscape scale. We developed a regional-scale model to assess the wind farm impact on bat migration and commuting routes. The model was implemented for the bat Nyctalus leisleri in a region of central Italy currently unde...

Exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of a pollutant induces, in some organisms, an acclimation process which increases their resistance to other substances (cross-acclimation). Understanding this phenomenon is important as a basis for a better comprehension of the effects of pollutants in ecosystems. In this paper we investigated whether the expos...

In several ant species, queens form aggregations that persist throughout the colony foundation phase. Cooperative colony foundation (pleometrosis) is believed to be advantageous especially in highly competitive environments, e.g. in presence of a high density of conspecific nests. In this study we investigated whether pleometrosis occurs in the ant...

In the cultivation of grapevine (Vitis vinifera) several management methods are employed, from organic production to intensive conventional farming. In this highly managed ecosystem ants, which may be both pests and pest-control agents at the same time, often represent a large fraction of insect biomass. Ant assemblages often reflect the degree of...

We propose two modeling approaches to describe the dynamics of ant battles, starting from laboratory experiments on the behavior of two ant species, the invasive Lasius neglectus and the authocthonus Lasius paralienus. This work is mainly motivated by the need to have realistic models to predict the interaction dynamics of invasive species. The two...

In this study we investigated the relationship between spatial distance and intraspecific aggression in the Mediterranean tree-nesting ant Crematogaster scutellaris. Aggression tests were carried out in the field confronting group of workers (20 from each nest) collected from pairs of nests located at increasing distances one from the other (5, 10,...

We present here a general method for modelling the dynamics of battles among social animals. The proposed method exploits the procedures widely used to model chemical reactions, but still uncommon in behavioural studies. We applied this methodology to the interpretation of experimental observations of battles between two species of ants (Lasius neg...