Jessica Pazzaglia

• PhD
• Researcher at Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn

Aim Seed dispersal plays a key role in shaping the distribution and genetic complexity of seagrass populations and affects their resilience capacity under disturbance. The endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica is a key component of Mediterranean coastal ecosystems, but knowledge about movement ecology in this species is limited, especially regarding...

Marine Heat Waves (MHWs) occurrence has been increasing in the Mediterranean Sea. The effects of field simulated MHWs of different intensity (medium and high temperature) on the transcriptome expression of the endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica were evaluated considering different origins of the plant. The aim of the study was reached through a co...

We present chromosome-level genome assemblies from representative species of three independently evolved seagrass lineages: Posidonia oceanica, Cymodocea nodosa, Thalassia testudinum and Zostera marina. We also include a draft genome of Potamogeton acutifolius, belonging to a freshwater sister lineage to Zosteraceae. All seagrass species share an a...

Seagrasses comprise the only submerged marine angiosperms, a feat of adaptation from three independent freshwater lineages within the Alismatales. These three parallel lineages offer the unique opportunity to study convergent versus lineage-specific adaptation to a fully marine lifestyle. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies from a r...

The continuous worldwide seagrasses decline calls for immediate actions in order to preserve this precious marine ecosystem. The main stressors that have been linked with decline in seagrasses are 1) the increasing ocean temperature due to climate change and 2) the continuous inputs of nutrients (eutrophication) associated with coastal human activi...

DNA methylation (DNAm) has been intensively studied in terrestrial plants in response to environmental changes, but its dynamic changes in a temporal scale remain unexplored in marine plants. The seagrass Posidonia oceanica ranks among the slowest-growing and longest-living plants on Earth, and is particularly vulnerable to sea warming and local an...

The intensification of anomalous events of seawater warming and the co-occurrence with local anthropogenic stressors are threatening coastal marine habitats, including seagrasses, which form extensive underwater meadows. Eutrophication highly affects coastal environments, potentially summing up to the widespread effects of global climate changes. I...

Seawater warming and increased incidence of marine heatwaves (MHW) are threatening the integrity of coastal marine habitats including seagrasses, which are particularly vulnerable to climate changes. Novel stress tolerance-enhancing strategies, including thermo-priming, have been extensively applied in terrestrial plants for enhancing resilience ca...

We assessed the effect of sewage-derived materials on the structural and functional attributes of the soft-bottom macrofauna at an increasing distance from the entire diffusion area. Our results showed clear spatial changes of macrofaunal density and biomass along the distance gradient from the main outfall. High values of biodiversity, species com...

Coastal oceans are particularly affected by rapid and extreme environmental changes with dramatic consequences for the entire ecosystem. Seagrasses are key ecosystem engineers or foundation species supporting diverse and highly productive ecosystems along the coastline that are particularly susceptible to fast environmental changes. In this context...

Citation: Pazzaglia, J.; Nguyen, H.M.; Santillán-Sarmiento, A.; Ruocco, M.; Dattolo, E.; Marín-Guirao, L.; Procaccini, G. The Genetic Component of Seagrass Restoration: What We Know and the Way Forwards. Water 2021, 13, 829.

Seagrass meadows are disappearing at rates comparable to those reported for mangroves, coral reefs, and tropical rainforests. One of the main causes of their decline is the so-called cultural eutrophication, i.e., the input of abnormal amounts of nutrients derived from human activities. Besides the impact of eutrophication at a local scale, the occ...

Vengono presentate le attività svolte e i risultati preliminari della campagna oceanografica INTERNOS 2017, svoltasi dal 14-03-2017 al 21-03-2017 nel Mare Adriatico centro-settentrionale con la Nave Oceanografica Minerva Uno. Obiettivi principali della campagna sono stati l’esecuzione di misure oceanografiche e biologiche con incluso il campionamen...