Department of Biology and Evolution of Marine Organisms
I am an evolutionary marine biologist who has developed fish model systems to resolve fundamental questions in sexual selection under the broader field of physiology and behavioural ecology of reproduction. My research is primarily concerned with the evolution of male pre and post-copulatory reproductive traits, and with the mechanisms of female choice and its consequences on male signalling strategies. I am also currently involved in studies on the monitoring of reproduction and gamete quality in farmed species, aimed at developing a self-sustaining aquaculture for the conservation of natural marine resources.
Dipartimento di Ecologia marina integrata
My research uses stable isotope tracers to answer questions of marine spatial and trophic ecology. I develop data- and process-based models to map the spatial distributions of isotope ratios at the base of marine food webs (isoscapes). These isotope maps provide a reference to which animal tissue isotopic compositions can be compared to infer the most likely location of tissue origin or migration, trophic shifts and/or trophic interactions. I am interested in space-time dynamics in isotope ecology and in modelling the mechanisms that drive isotopic variation.
Integrative Marine Ecology Department
My research is primarily concerned with marine reserves, survey methods, and trophic ecology – who eats who – and what effects these interactions have on community structure. I am especially interested in the functional role of predators in coastal marine systems and their impacts on the trophic structure of reef assemblages, and patterns in marine species diversity and functional diversity at varying scales.
