Giulia GionchettaEawag: Das Wasserforschungs-Institut des ETH-Bereichs | Eawag · Surface Waters - Research and Managment
Giulia Gionchetta
PhD
PostDoc at Eawag
About
20
Publications
2,631
Reads
How we measure 'reads'
A 'read' is counted each time someone views a publication summary (such as the title, abstract, and list of authors), clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the full-text. Learn more
170
Citations
Citations since 2017
Introduction
I am passionate researcher about environmental microbiology and its application. My major interests include the study of microbial processes as well as the application of novel techniques/analysis to quantify and trace the antimicrobial resistance (AMR) diffusion in diverse ecosystems, being one of the largest health-related issues. The development of novel workflow of methods to set the bases for new strategy limit or prevent AMR dispersion in one of my major goal.
Additional affiliations
September 2016 - October 2019
Position
- PhD Student
Description
- Water Science and Technology, Institute of Aquatic Ecology (IEA); Group on Ecology of Inland Waters (GRECO). Title: At the edge of aquatic systems: intermittent streambed microbial communities’ responses to hydrological alterations (Excellent-Cum Laude).
November 2015 - August 2016
Position
- Research Assistant
Description
- Institute of Aquatic Ecology (IEA); Group on Ecology of Inland Waters (GRECO). Project: Temporary fluvial ecosystems and global change: effects on ecosystem structure and functioning
October 2014 - September 2015
Position
- MS Student
Description
- Water Science and Technology, gEMM (Microbial Ecology Group) Dissertation title: Characterization and genetic potential evaluation for N2O emissions of the Rotating Cell Biofilm Reactor microbial community.
Publications
Publications (20)
Aquatic fungi are highly diverse organisms that play a critical role in global biogeochemical cycles. Yet it remains unclear which assembly processes determine their co-occurrence and assembly patterns over gradients of drying intensity, which is a common stressor in fluvial networks. Although aquatic fungi possess drying-specific adaptations, litt...
Oxidative chemicals, such as nitrate, are periodically added to sewer systems to mitigate sulfide production and its accumulation but data are lacking on how these treatments affect sewage microbiota and alter their gene expression and mobilization. The present study investigated such effects on the biofilm of a full-scale sewer collected at two di...
Coastal marsh lagoons are of high ecological relevance playing a key role in the carbon cycle but are threatened to disappear due to global change effects. Restoration practices can counteract this process. This study compares the microbial heterotrophic functioning in three “new” man-made lagoons (created in 2016) to that in three “old” lagoons (t...
Surface-groundwater interactions in intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES), waterways which do not flow year-round, are spatially and temporally dynamic because of alternations between flowing, non-flowing and dry hydrological states. Interactions between surface and groundwater often create mixing zones with distinct redox gradients, pot...
The dosage of free nitrous acid (FNA) is an effective treatment to control emissions of hydrogen sulfide and methane from sewers. It is unclear, however, whether its application could affect the sewer resistome and mobilome (the pool of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) and mobile genetic elements (MGEs), respectively). Here, a lab-scale assay for...
Chapter 3 of the Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams: what water managers need to know. Technical report – Cost ACTION CA 15113
Microbes inhabiting intermittent streambeds are responsible for controlling and developing many biogeochemical processes essential for the ecosystem functions. Although streambed microbiota is adapted to intermittency the intensification of water scarcity and prolonged dry periods may jeopardise their capacity to cope with hydrological changes. Thi...
The genomic composition of total (DNA) and active (RNA) diversity, and the community level physiological profiles (CLPP) were considered as proxies for functional diversity to describe both prokaryotes and eukaryotes inhabiting the surface and hyporheic streambeds. Comparisons between the genomic and potential functional responses helped to underst...
Stream microbes that occur in the Mediterranean Basin have been shown to possess heightened sensitivity to intensified water stress attributed to climate change. Here, we investigate the effects of long-term drought (150 days), storms and rewetting (7 days) on the diversity and composition of archaea, bacteria and fungi inhabiting intermittent stre...
Microbes inhabiting temporary streambeds manifest achievable adaptations under intermittent flow, but the increasing aridity of freshwater courses could affect their structural and functional responses dynamics. As a consequence, enhanced foresee dryness of Mediterranean streambed may further determine changes in biogeochemical and nutrient process...
Intermittent rivers and ephemeral streams (IRES) encompass fluvial ecosystems that eventually stop flowing and run dry at some point in space and time. During the dry phase, channels of IRES consist mainly of dry riverbeds (DRBs), prevalent yet widely unexplored ecotones between dry and wet phases that can strongly influence the biogeochemistry of...
Intensified droughts and floods are growing stressors worldwide. Microbial sediment communities inhabiting intermittent streams are expected to undergo longer and more frequent droughts leading to changes in diversity. Here, bacteria, fungi and archaea diversity were tracked over a 157-days experiment in sediment column microcosms. We examined the...
Spatial and temporal widening of drought periods and the unknown trend of flash rewetting events are clear consequences of global change in temporary stream ecosystems. Streambed microbial heterotrophs are the main actors involved in biogeochemical stream processes and their viability and activities could be endangered by strengthen of dry-wet cycl...
Projects
Projects (4)
With the ANTIVERSA project, our goal is thus to test the hypothesis that the persistence, and therefore the abundance and diversity, of clinically relevant ARGs and ARB is inversely correlated to biological diversity of invaded communities.The obtained results will support risk assessment of AMR in environmental compartments and subsequently contribute to the development of evidence-based measures to mitigate AMR dissemination for the protection of human, animal and plant health.
Convenors:
Ute Risse-Buhl, Department River Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Magdeburg, Germany
Clara Mendoza-Lera, Department of Freshwater Conservation, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg, Bad Saarow, Germany
Giulia Gionchetta, Institute of Aquatic Ecology, University of Girona, Spain
Chloé Bonnineau, IRSTEA, Centre de Lyon-Villeurbanne, France
Stream biofilms are heterogeneous in space and time conforming microbial landscapes. Within these landscapes, physical habitat heterogeneity at the micro-scale shapes biofilm community development by modulating its diversity (structure and composition) and affecting meta-community dynamics. Similarly, micro-habitat heterogeneity can modulate stream biogeochemistry. Nevertheless the link between microbial diversity and biogeochemistry across spatiotemporal scales is not straightforward. Stream biogeochemistry at reach scale may not necessarily match for microbial communities and their function. In this context, the goal of our session is to explore the links between microbial landscapes and biogeochemistry across spatiotemporal scales. The session will address questions like:
Does habitat heterogeneity modulate microbial diversity and function at micro-habitat scale (e.g. EPS production; prokaryotes and micro-eukaryotes community composition)?
Does inter- or intra-biofilm heterogeneity impact biogeochemical stream processes across spatial scales?
To which extent microbial responses to stressors (e.g. physical, climate change, contaminants) observed at micro-habitat scale influence reach-scale biogeochemistry?
