Preparedness to fight an averted, yet possible next "Disease X" pandemics would require many actions along different dimensions. The WHO One Health framework has strongly highlighted the major threat posed by zoonotic infectious diseases - transmitted from animal to human hosts - and the necessity to reduce their risk of disease spillover and spread. An integrated framework that envisions all the ecological actors involved in the transmission cycle can inform policies to efficiently act well before the next “Disease X” pandemic event. Here, we target a set of zoonotic viruses brought to attention by the WHO, with critical epidemic potential and lacking effective countermeasures. Based on a performed review of almost 500 papers, we identify a taxonomy of prototypical models describing the local-scale spatiotemporal transmission of the target pathogens. The comprehensive approach of the analysis can provide relevant insights into the yet-unknown identity of Disease X: one of the target viruses, a related virus emerging from one of the target viral families, or -more generally - one of these viruses that evolves the ability to transmit in a new way or in an alternative host in unaffected and unprepared locations. We show the substantial differences that exist among diseases with distinct epidemiological characteristics and highlight the relative importance of the wildlife compartment for both human infection and viral maintenance. Specifically, we distinguish between viruses that can sporadically spill from animal hosts but then mainly circulate in humans (e.g. SARS-CoV1), viruses that efficiently co-circulate in humans and animals (e.g. LASV), and viruses for which humans are merely the dead-end host of a predominantly animal chain (e.g. RVF). This review serves a twofold objective: it represents an essential component for further modelling developments and provides a clear overview of the intrinsic benefits of simultaneously safeguarding human and environmental health.

The leopard (Panthera pardus spp.) is a generalist species that originated in Africa and dispersed into Eurasia between 400 and 600 thousand years ago. It is commonly subdivided into one African and eight Asian subspecies, roughly corresponding to the geographic areas each of them inhabits.

It is still unclear if such categorisation also reflects an ecological differentiation of leopards across different parts of their range. Here, we use species distribution modelling/habitat suitability modelling to compare the niches of leopard subspecies. Our aim is to investigate how the species’ niche varies across its entire range and provide insight into the role of local adaptation and niche shift in its range expansion.

Our results support a general lack of niche separation between all subspecies. Most Asian subspecies have overlapping niches and occupy subsets of the African leopard's niche. Nevertheless, we found the Persian leopard, Panthera pardus saxicolor, to have the most distinct niche, giving some evidence for niche expansion in more Northern Asian subspecies.

We suggest little ecological differentiation among leopard subspecies and a lack of adaptation to novel climates after dispersal from Africa. This finding complements recent genetic studies in implying that the taxonomy of Asian leopards may not reflect biological differentiation, an important issue to resolve due to its relevance for the conservation of the species.

Addressing how individual variation within populations drives the evolution of biodiversity patterns is a major challenge in ecology and evolutionary biology. Historical biogeographic processes have had dramatic consequences on the structure of biodiversity. However, while the interplay between historical processes and genotypic variation within populations has been widely investigated, the effects of such processes on phenotypic variation remain poorly explored. Here, we investigate whether dispersal-driven processes of historical biogeographic relevance, such as late Pleistocene range dynamics, have contributed to shape the geographic patterns of phenotypic trait variation. We focus on dispersal-related personality, morphological and performance traits in the Tyrrhenian tree frog, Hyla sarda, which underwent a northward range expansion from the Sardinia island to the Corsica island during the last Glacial Maximum, when a temporary land-bridge connected these islands. We collected tree frogs from four geographic areas along the past expansion route, controlling for altitude, local habitat effects, demographic factors, and bioclimatic differences between geographic areas. Then, we scored intraspecific variation in two personality traits, two performance traits, along with morphological traits likely involved in the dispersal process. Tree frogs from Corsica were more prudent in a novel environment, they had significantly larger body size, longer limbs, wider heads, and displayed stronger take-off and adhesion performances compared to individuals from the source area in Sardinia. Overall, these results may suggest a non-random spatial sorting of the intraspecific variation in multiple phenotypic traits during the range expansion phase. In turn, they also suggest that population differentiation in phenotypic traits associations might be a legacy of past biogeographic dynamics, identifying an overlooked driver of current patterns of intraspecific variation in phenotypic integration and opening intriguing evolutionary scenarios on the processes shaping the phenotypic architecture of animal populations.

Interspecific hybridization is an evolutionary process that plays a crucial role in shaping the spatial and temporal patterns of biodiversity. Studying these processes necessitates specialized molecular techniques for recognizing and monitoring genetic introgression. In this methodological presentation, we introduce a new class of markers currently being developed at the University of Padua.

Our approach employs intron-targeted amplicon sequencing to genotype Multi-locus Intron Polymorphisms (MIPs) and evaluate genetic diversity. These highly variable intron regions, thanks to the high transferability between species provided by the highly conserved flanking exon regions, constitute powerful multi-SNP markers (microhaplotypes), suitable for various applications, including species and hybrid identification and population comparisons, even without prior knowledge of the species. We present the first highly transferable panel of MIPs across fish genomes, seeking to examine the advantages and limitations of these markers and evaluating their characteristics in relation to other available markers. Additionally, the potential of this method, developed here on teleosts, to be applied to other taxa is anticipated by various preliminary results.

Cichlids are a species-rich family of teleost fishes renowned for their explosive phenotypic diversification, rapid adaptative radiation, and sympatric speciation. This makes them an ideal system to investigate the intricate interplay between ecological divergence and trait evolution, and to elucidate the genomic basis of adaptation. Hypertrophied lips, a trait associated with feeding variation, have convergently arisen in several cichlid adaptive radiations, including the Neotropical Midas cichlid species complex (Amphilophus spp.). These thick lip phenotypes play significant ecological roles, enhancing feeding efficiency and specialized foraging strategies, thereby promoting niche differentiation and resource exploitation. A functional trade-off in feeding behavior between thick- and normal-lipped ecotypes likely fuels divergence through disruptive selection.

By integrating analyses of quantitative trait loci (QTL), genome-wide association studies (GWAS), pangenomics, transcriptomics, and topological associating domain (TAD) detection, we aimed to characterize the molecular genetic bases of the hypertrophied lip phenotype in Midas cichlids. Unlike previous studies, our findings reveal that multiple loci contribute to variation in this trophic trait, including two loci with large effect sizes. We then identified several differentially expressed (DE) genes between fishes with thick and thin lips. Notably, several of these DE genes were regulated by microRNAs also found to be DE in the same comparison. Moreover, pangenome reconstructions based on 32 chromosome-level haplotype-resolved assemblies for 16 phenotypically and genetically diverse Midas cichlid individuals resolved several ecomorph-specific structural variants that co-localize with lip GWAS and QTL intervals. Lastly, we identified altered TADs in genomic regions harboring coincident structural variants, GWAS, and QTL.

Overall, our results suggest that variation in lip size – a possible driver of sympatric speciation – is due to a complex interplay of multiple genomic factors. By elucidating the genetic architecture behind this ecologically significant trait, our study provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms driving ecologically based adaptive divergence.

The exponential increase in biological invasions worldwide, driven by globalisation and climate change is listed among the five biggest threats to the Earth's biodiversity. This trend poses a significant threat to the conservation of endangered species and ecosystems worldwide. The Mediterranean Sea emerges as notably affected by this phenomenon. Since the opening of the Suez Canal, a considerable amount of alien species have been entering the Mediterranean from the Red Sea, and their spread has been favoured by the consequences of climate change. Focusing on two successful Lessepsian fish invaders: Siganus rivulatus, a long-standing invader and Pterois miles a newly established invader, we aim to investigate the trends of different types of genetic diversity during the colonisation of the Mediterranean Sea. Our first objective is to investigate how the different timing and speed of invasion have shaped genetic diversity distribution and genetic load accumulation in these two invasive species. We also know that these species are adapting to significantly lower temperature and salinity levels than those in which they usually thrive. Our goal is to understand whether these two species are using the same gene combinations to adapt to the new environmental conditions. Lastly, considering different possible climate change scenarios, we aim to develop reliable predictive models to infer the possible future trajectories of these invasions, taking into account how non-neutral diversity may influence the invasive potential of these species. Preliminary results reveal a dramatic decline in genetic diversity moving from the source population to the northern bound of the invasive range with the Mediterranean population representing just a small portion of the total diversity present in the Red Sea suggesting that the colonisation of the Mediterranean is attributable to a single and rapid invasive event.

The recurrent climatic fluctuations of the Quaternary resulted in subsequent glacial and interglacial periods characterized by repeated changes in environmental conditions and resource availability. Several biotopes disappeared entirely or changed considerably leading to either extinction, survival in glacial refugia or adaptation to new habitats. Those environmental and distribution shifts likely had genetic consequences, with rapid demographic changes causing loss in genetic diversity. Patterns of demographic variation are reflected in the genome of a species which can be studied to estimate fluctuations in effective population size (N_e) using Pairwise Sequentially Markovian Coalescent (PSMC). The combination of PSMC and environmental niche modelling (ENM), which reconstruct changes in a species’ distribution using paleoclimatic data, can provide insights into the effects of environmental variations on the life history of a species and eventually help understand its vulnerability to climate changes. Among vertebrates, turtles are one of the most endangered group due to illegal trade, habitat loss, pollution, and climatic alterations, which are already affecting several of their physiological and phenological characteristics. We used whole-genome sequencing data from 22 species of turtles to infer variation in effective population size through time and checked for correlation between N_e, heterozigosity, IUCN category and habitat availability during the Marine Isotope Stage 19, the last interglacial period, the last glacial maximum and the early Holocene. All species experienced a drastic decrease in Ne at the start of the last glacial period, which was correlated to a decrease in temperature. On the other hand, no correlation was found between extent of habitat availability, effective population size, extinction risk as defined by IUCN categories and heterozygosity.

According to evolutionary theories, each species adapts different strategies and makes trade-offs to maximize fitness. Even within the same species, individuals may follow diverse strategies, some bolder and more demanding than others. However, defining the driving forces that enhance this diversity still requires investigations.

This study aimed to examine the interplay between extrinsic environmental factors and individual pace of life using Gammarus insensibilis as the study organism, a detritivorous species in Italian lagoons. To this aim, cohorts with initial different densities were maintained for 45 days in laboratory experimental trials characterized by a constant resource supply, i.e. 20g of 15-day microbially conditioned Phragmites australis leaves. The population densities varied, corresponding to the individual-to-resource ratio, from 0.75 to 12.5 individuals per gram of resource. Resources were changed, and individuals were counted every 15 days. After 45 days, individual standard metabolic rates, recorded body mass, and maturity stage were measured.

Results showed an inverse relationship between cohort density and individuals’ pace of life. Individuals reared in the lowest cohort density, compared to those in higher densities, had a greater average body mass, reached maturity faster, and had a higher baseline standard metabolic rate. Significant inter-individual variation in growth and metabolic rates was observed within each cohort, with the biggest individual ~10 times bigger than the smallest. Conclusively, this study revealed that the pace of life is modulated continuously across a spectrum of resource availability, with an increased resource-to-individual ratio resulting in a faster pace of life suggesting a wider range of individual personality outcomes. Our findings contribute to understanding the adaptive potential of population-level energy budgets influenced by the relative abundance of individuals with diverse energetic and life history outcomes.

Theory and empirical evidence support the idea that species adaptation to new environmental conditions may occur by two main routes: standing variation or de novo mutations. In origin from standing variation, adaptive polymorphisms are already present in the population before the selective pressure, and they will increase under positive selection. On the contrary, an adaptation from de novo mutations involves polymorphisms that originate in the populations once an environmental change has occurred. To date, a heated debate about the relative role of these two alternative routes is still occurring, mainly because we rarely can study populations before selection takes place.

Here, we exploited the information frozen in the genome of historical samples to disentangle between the two scenarios, putting them in the case of the diflubenzuron resistance in the mosquito Culex pipiens. Diflubenzuron is a chitin-synthesis inhibitor intensively used in northern Italy against mosquito vectors since 2007. In 2015, target-site resistance to this compound was detected in Cx. pipiens populations for the first time. By analysing current and historical samples, we showed that target-site resistance was already present in the populations of Cx. pipiens in the 1980s, thus pre-dating the use of diflubenzuron against this species. Concurrently by characterizing the morphology and behaviour of susceptible and resistant phenotypes in absence of insecticides, we revealed potentially advantageous traits associated with resistance. Taken together, our results support the importance of standing variation in adaptation and suggest that multiple selective pressures beyond insecticides may have favoured resistant individuals within populations.

Predicting species’ responses to climate change is a pressing need hampered by our limited knowledge of spatiotemporal ecological and evolutionary dynamics. We combine landscape genomics, demographic reconstructions, and species distribution models to assess the ecological responses to past climate fluctuations and to future climate in an Afro-Palearctic migratory raptor, the lesser kestrel (Falco naumanni). We uncover two evolutionary and ecologically distinct lineages (European and Asian), whose demographic history, evolutionary divergence, and historical distribution range were profoundly shaped by past climatic fluctuations. Using future climate projections, we find that the Asian lineage is at higher risk of maladaptation, range contraction, increased migration distance, and consequently greater extinction risk than the European lineage. Our results emphasise the importance of providing historical context as a baseline for understanding species’ responses to contemporary climate change, and demonstrate that incorporating intraspecific genetic variation improves the ecological realism of climate change vulnerability assessments.

Understanding population structure, genetic diversity, and adaptation in fish species is pivotal for fisheries genomics. This knowledge is crucial for effective fisheries management, conservation efforts, and to understand environmental impacts on fish populations.

This study employed ddRAD sequencing to identify and genotype single nucleotide polymorphism markers (SNPs) in European hake (Merluccius merluccius) population samples obtained during MED_UNITs project. Over 1,700 specimens from 41 sampling locations were analyzed, including extensive coverage of the Mediterranean Sea and one Atlantic location. Following reference-based assembly and quality filtering, we identified about 1,000 high-quality SNPs for downstream differentiation analyses. A comparison of the samples, based on all the SNPs, revealed significant genetic differentiation not only between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea samples, but also within the Mediterranean. We observed significant differences between the Western, Central, and Eastern Mediterranean populations, as well as between the Levantine and Aegean Sea samples. Admixture analysis identified four genetic clusters, exhibiting varying frequencies in a west-to-east pattern within the Mediterranean. By employing the Population Branch Statistic, we identified SNPs putatively under selection in the admixed populations using an outgroup-case-control approach. The availability of individual phenotypic and environmental data allowed investigation of their correlation with SNPs. Notably, several putatively selected SNPs exhibited correlations with different individual parameters in independent comparisons supporting the possibility that these genetic variants lie in genomic regions with functional relevance, and they might be involved in response to the environment.

Our study offers new insights by revealing a significant degree of genetic structure within the Mediterranean region that extends previous results, which had only identified these differences through the analysis of outlier genetic loci. Additionally, the study highlights the adaptive genomic variation that underlies the observed population structure, thus providing valuable insights for the formulation of sound conservation strategies and development of sustainable fisheries practices.

The ongoing and predicted loss of biodiversity due to anthropogenic stressors, including climate change, pose significant threats to ecosystem functioning, and ultimately to ecosystem services upon which humans depend. The potential ecosystem functions in natural systems are given by the biological diversity within it, since the functional traits and main ecological attributes of the species within it are responsible for most of the ecosystem processes. Particularly in marine environments, these impacts can be profound, altering from small scale biogeochemical cycles to the overall resilience of an ecosystem. This research will contribute to the understanding of the intricate relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, by studying the mechanisms linking biodiversity change/loss in marine environment multifunctionality. We employ the novel Aquatic Eddy Covariance (AEC) technique (Berg et al., 2003) to measure vertical turbulent fluxes of oxygen that are widely used proxy for benthic mineralization and primary production, and from which we can derive daily metabolic rates of respiration (R), gross primary production (GPP), and net ecosystem metabolism (NEM). AEC provides a in situ non-invasive approach, minimizing ecosystem disturbance while integrating the flux over a large benthic surface area with strong spatial heterogeneity. In this context, AEC can be used to measure ecosystem functioning related to primary production and carbon sequestration. These functions measured together with other such as those for nutrient cycling, can then be studied in relationship with the associated biodiversity (ideally across different trophic levels and in varying temporal and/or spatial scales). The relationships found between these two components of ecosystems, could provide a good picture of how the biodiversity present is contributing and shaping the functions independently, or together simultaneously (multifunctionality). Preliminary results are presented from a case study on Mediterranean seagrasses and mixed macroalgae communities in the Stagnone di Marsala coastal lagoon, in Western Sicily.

Climate warming is expected to affect nutrient transfer in food webs, with pronounced effects in the Arctic due to warming amplification and nutrient-limited conditions. Arctic lake ecosystems represent biodiversity hotspots and carbon sinks of global value. Declining snow coverage is increasing primary productivity and herbivore abundance in lake catchment areas, which represent key drivers of nutrient input. However, predicting climate change effects on Arctic lake food webs remains challenging, hindering the conservation of these fragile ecosystems and their services.

This study examines the effect of snow coverage and consequent migratory bird density (Branta leucopsis) on lake food webs. We analyzed nine shallow lakes along a gradient from the coastline to glaciers on the Brøgger Peninsula, Svalbard. Using gas-flow measurements and C and N isotopic analysis, we assessed nutrient sources, CO₂ emissions, and trophic interactions. Bayesian mixing models were employed to investigate the diet of Lepidurus arcticus, a key omnivorous species in lake food webs.

Decreased snow coverage led to an increase in primary productivity and geese abundance around lakes. In turn, organic inputs from geese increased N concentration in sediments and improved the stoichiometric quality of aquatic vegetation. This led to two primary effects: (i) a fourfold increase in CO₂ emissions from sediments, and (ii) a dietary shift in L. arcticus towards greater consumption of sediments, which store long-term C, and aquatic vegetation, containing newly fixed C, thereby reducing its intake of animal prey. These changes resulted in a 12-17 gC m^-2 year^-1 increase in C flow from basal resources to upper trophic levels, reducing potential long-term C accumulation.

By linking CO₂ emissions and C transfer in food webs to variations in snow coverage, vegetation, and geese abundance, this study advances our mechanistic understanding of the cascading effects of climate change on Tundra ecosystems and their capacity as carbon sinks.

Herbivory shapes the structure and functioning of forest ecosystems worldwide. However, little is known about its potential environmental drivers such as water availability and multi-scale effects of herbivore population density in Mediterranean forests, where water availability is becoming scarcer and further predicted to drop over the next decades.
During 4 years (2019-2023), we investigated the factors affecting browsing pressure by wild deer (roe deer Capreolus capreolus and fallow deer Dama dama) on the woody vegetation belonging to the Natura 2000 EU Habitat 9340 ‘Quercus ilex and Q. rotundifolia forests’, within a Mediterranean protected area (central Italy).
Browsing impact increased with increasing fallow deer densities at multiple scales, but was not affected by roe deer densities. This occurred at the whole habitat patch scale and separately for both the most dominant typical species/genera of Habitat 9340 in our study area (Quercus ilex; Phillyrea spp.). Greater population density, larger body size, more generalist diet, and higher gregariousness likely underpin the major impact of fallow deer. During our study, the ~25% decline in fallow deer density matched the increased numbers of wolves, whose diet included fallow deer (~25%). This result may support consumptive effects of predation leading to the top-down control of deer impact on vegetation.
Herbaceous cover in forest patches diluted browsing pressure, indicating how the availability of alternative resources may mitigate deer impacts on woody vegetation. Contrary to expectations, higher rainfall increased browsing, suggesting resprouting of woody plants with enhanced palatability/nutrient content, increasing attractiveness to deer. This finding implies that browsing impact on Mediterranean forests would occur even when water availability increases, if herbivore density remains high.
Our work emphasises the critical roles of spatiotemporal variations in population densities of wild herbivores in driving their browsing impact on natural habitats, offering valuable insights into the conservation of Mediterranean forests.

In the Mediterranean Sea, fish assemblages associated with seagrasses host a significant percentage of the total fish biodiversity and have been extensively studied. However, an overview of species richness and functional diversity at the Mediterranean scale was lacking, hindering the study of scale-dependent mechanisms related to fish habitat use and, ultimately, structuring ecological communities.

An exhaustive literature search was therefore implemented to build up a specific data base that includes the presence and the life stages of fish in the various seagrass habitats, along with specific functional traits known to be associated with fish habitat use and reproduction. The aim was to explore the extent to which fish species’ traits drive the functional composition of fish assemblages associated with seagrass habitats and to determine if differences in seagrass structural complexity may influence the functional strategies of associated fauna.

The meta-analytic approach es applied revealed that the high species richness of fish in seagrass meadows is unevenly distributed among different habitats, showing a nested structure. Almost all the observed species present in Posidonia oceanica, with progressively smaller subsets found in Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera sp.

The characterization of the functional space and structure of fish assemblages across the various seagrass habitats showed that Mediterranean seagrasses host a vast array of functionally similar fish species characterized by r-like reproductive strategies and low-to-intermediate trophic levels, but differ for the traits exhibited by the associated predators.

Our findings reinforce the view that the predominant use of seagrass habitats by fish might be driven by the trade-off between different reproductive and feeding strategies.

Elasmobranchs face significant threats from intensive fishing and by-catch, particularly in the Mediterranean Sea, where 53% of sharks and rays are at risk of extinction. Understanding their biology and ecological roles is crucial to develop conservation strategies. In the current study the trophic ecology of the blackspotted smooth-hound Mustelus punctulatus, listed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, has been studied in three areas of the North-central Adriatic Sea, the Gulf of Trieste (named zone A), Venice Lagoon (zone B), and Emilia-Marche (zone C), by means of stomach content (SCA) and stable isotope analyses (SIA). SIA were carried out on both muscle and vertebrae. Our results showed that Mustelus punctulatus feed mostly on crustanceans and bony fishes, especially small pelagics, and to a lesser extent polychaetes and molluscs, with significant differences in diet composition among specimens collected in the zone A and those from zone C. Concerning SIA, while the δ¹³C values in muscle tissue aligned with existing literature, a slight depletion in δ¹⁵N was observed across all samples, which could be attributed to increased water intake from the Po River, exacerbated by the significant flood in May 2023, as fishing pressure in the area has decreased in the last years. Moreover, by comparing δ¹⁵N values in the core and outer portions of vertebrae, corresponding to the mother's isotopic signature and prey assimilated within the last year, respectively, a clear ontogenetic shift in diet was observed. Remarkably, δ¹⁵N values in the core varied significantly among samples from the three zones, suggesting the presence of at least two distinct nursery areas in the northern Adriatic Sea. These findings underscore the importance of considering regional variations and ontogenetic shifts in elasmobranch ecology for effective conservation and management strategies.

Coralligenous habitat is a biogenic temperate reef, representing one of the most important biodiversity hotspots in the Mediterranean Sea. The iconic species Paramuricea clavata is an ecosystem engineer which increases the spatial complexity of the habitat, developing animal forests that support the persistence of other species. In the last decade, P. clavata suffered the increase of multiple stressors which led to mass mortality events with substantially unknown consequences on associated benthic assemblages. We tested the hypothesis that P. clavata has the role of increasing local biodiversity. The study was carried out in the Gulf of Naples, where benthic communities inside vs outside the forests were compared in terms of β-diversity (partitioned in its two components nestedness and turnover) and functional richness. P. clavata forests are mainly represented by small size classes and show a wide range of both density (27 - 65 colonies/m²) and biomass (100 - 505 g dry weight/m²). The assessment of benthic assemblages reveals P. clavata forests support distinct communities, characterized by higher compositional and functional richness compared to the adjacent zones. The analysis of functional groups reveals that P. clavata prevents the spread of algal species, favouring the growth of sessile invertebrates. Comparing β-diversity, the turnover component is statistically significant at both taxonomical and functional level with higher values within the forest, highlighting the important role of P. clavata in modifying local environmental conditions and driving local species distribution. Our results provide new insights to the ecological relevance of this habitat and point out the importance of implementing its protection.

Among coastal systems, river deltas are highly dynamic environments: they are hotspots of biodiversity, and they respond quickly to natural and human changes (Trincardi et al., 2023). In recent years, human impact on the Po River Delta (UNESCO heritage site and biodiversity hotspot) has significantly changed both the territory and the land use. Because of this, there have been major modifications in the type and amount of the ecosystem services that such area could offer to the local communities (Gaglio et al., 2017).

For five consecutive years (2015/2019) we sampled on a seasonal basis the macrozoobenthic community of the Po Delta (Emilia Romagna area) across all the microhabitats of the lagoons which responds optimally to natural and anthropogenic stressors (Mistri et al., 2000; Carvalho et al., 2011). We have demonstrated that the taxonomic and trophic-functional diversity of the same microhabitat (e.g., macroalgal beds, bare sediment, or Phragmites roots) is not comparable between different lagoons. Not only the macrozoobenthic communities are distinct, but the taxonomical and trophic biodiversity do not overlap either. The findings demonstrate the critical importance of conserving lagoon ecosystems in their microhabitat variability. Each lagoon system is unique, and preserving their distinct ecological characteristics is essential for maintaining their biodiversity and the ecosystem services they provide. Consequently, conservation strategies must prioritize the protection of these diverse microhabitats to ensure the long-term ecological integrity of the Po River Delta.

Bottom trawling is known to affect directly and indirectly the structure and functions of benthic ecosystems. Direct effects include the removal of benthic and benthopelagic species, whereas indirect effects include a wide range of impacts on the seabed and resident species. Among indirect effects, functional changes to benthic communities have also been reported, which in turn may affect the diet (i.e. food preferences and feeding habits) and the trophodynamics (i.e. trophic level in the food chain) of benthic-feeding fish. Here, we aimed to evaluate the impact of fishing pressure on the diet composition, trophic level and food source and lipid content of one of the most important commercial species of the Mediterranean Sea, the red mullet Mullus barbatus collected in three areas of the Central Adriatic Sea, characterized by different fishery pressure, according to Vessel Monitoring System data. Our results revealed significant differences in diet composition among areas, based on stomach contents analysis, suggesting that fishing activities influence the dietary preferences of red mullets, while δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N values did not reveal changes in carbon sources and trophic levels. Finally, significant differences were observed in the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) of specimen from the three areas and specifically areas with lower fishing pressure showed a higher concentration of healthy PUFAs, while areas with higher fishing pressure showed a higher concentration of MUFAs. The significant influence of this anthropogenic impact on the diet composition, stable isotopes contents and nutritional characteristics of M. barbatus underlines the importance of considering fishing pressure in fisheries management and also for maintaining a good nutritional quality of commercial marine species.

The Italian Spring Goby (Orsinigobius punctatissimus) is an endemic freshwater fish species considered Critically Endangered by the Italian IUCN committee. This species is closely associated with highly specific and isolated habitats, such as springs and oxbow lakes in the River Po plain, where Lombardy constitutes half of the species' range. Because of spring droughts, pollution, habitat loss and fragmentation, the species distribution in the freshwater ecosystems of Lombardy has been estimated being decreased by 70% in recent decades. However, information on the presence and ecology of this species is very limited because of the scarcity of monitoring activities in suitable habitats. For instance, the current knowledge about the habitat preferences of the species is outdated and based on past qualitative observations. Therefore, the aim of this study is to enlarge the knowledge on the ecology and distribution of the Italian Spring Goby in spring ecosystems of the Lombardy region. In spring-summer 2023 and 2024, we surveyed more than 130 springs spanned over a longitudinal gradient, collecting data on the presence of the species and fish community, as well as biotic and abiotic features of the spring. We found the species in 25 springs, corresponding to the 19% of the sampled sites. Results showed that the main predictive variables for the presence and abundance are morphological features such as substrate type, average depth, illumination, and retention of organic debris. This study provides novel insights into the habitat preferences of the Italian Spring Goby and its regional distribution.

Mediterranean infralittoral rocky reef ecosystems can undergo a distinctive regime shift, where the healthy state, characterized by macroalgal forests supporting rich and biodiverse communities that provide key ecosystem functions and services, are replaced by a degraded state, characterized by barrens formed by encrusting algae and showing low biodiversity. Sea urchins usually play a pivotal role in this process since, under certain conditions, they can significantly increase in number and favour, thanks to their grazing activity, this unwanted regime shift.  We propose an ecological, process-based mathematical model that describes the processes influencing the spatio-temporal dynamics of the algal cover, focusing on the interactions between primary producers, sea urchins (whose grazing activity mediates the competition between the two algal groups) and sea urchin predators (such as sea breams, Diplodus spp.), and how these can drive the shift from a macroalgae-dominated forest to barren and vice versa. Our model allows us to describe population dynamics of the species involved and biomass flows across the different trophic levels. It makes also possible to explore how different levels of exploitation, on both sea urchins and their predators, can trigger a possible shift from forest to barren, thus driving a re-organization of the community. Although more robust calibration and validation is needed to make the model fully operational, this modelling approach has the potential to inform management policies and conservation strategies. Eventually, we aim at refining and expanding the model to include the effect of climate change and ocean connectivity, towards a basin-scale analysis at the meta-community level.

The Baltic Sea is a crucial wintering site for seabirds, particularly velvet scoters (Melanitta fusca). Velvet scoter is rapidly declining, despite being one of the most abundant wintering sea duck in the Baltic Sea. Protection measures should consider information such as diet, diving behaviour, time-budget and wintering energy requirements for the planning and zoning of marine protected area. Therefore, this work provides an integrated approach for the evaluation of the seabed energy and the energy demand of velvet scoter wintering in the Lithuanian coastal waters in the Baltic Sea. Diet analysis, using stomach content from bycaught individuals, were used to identify key prey species. The time-budget and diving behaviour were assessed via direct visual observations and transmitters deployment, respectively. The visual observations assessed the frequency of six behavioural categories during the day (resting, locomotion, feeding, comfort, alert and social interaction). Transmitters data provided information such as dive duration, descend, bottom and ascend duration, as well as the daily number of dives and the depth distribution. Literature data were used to recalculate the energy values associated with each behavioural category, providing insights into the estimation of daily energy expenditure. Benthic samples, collected between April 2020 and July 2021, were analysed to assess the distribution and biomass of prey in the environment. Benthic biomass was then modelled using Random Forest and converted into energy values to evaluate seabed energy availability. Information on the foraging ecology of velvet scoters and other energy costs (thermoregulation, basal metabolic rate, etc.) were combined to determine the sea duck’s energy distribution. Ultimately, the integration of seabed energy availability and velvet scoter energy demands offers information for the zoning and prioritization of key feeding areas, which is essential for the conservation of this declining species in the Baltic Sea.

Biological invasions are constantly increasing globally, with freshwater ecosystems (rivers and lakes) among the most vulnerable. In these habitats invasive crayfish (Crustacea, Decapoda) have a significant ecological impact. The current study examined the population structure, as well as the spatial and temporal distribution of the invasive American crayfish Faxonius limosus in two subalpine lakes in northwestern Piedmont (Lake Orta and Lake Mergozzo) where its occurrence is well established. Littoral sampling covering a 1-year project (2021-2022) allowed us to measure, weigh and sex determine all collected individuals. Subsequently, the population structure was investigated to confirm whether 1) the invasive species' abundance (Hypothesis1- Hp1), 2) and its growth differ between the two lakes (Hp2);3) the potential use of invasive species to produce biofilm for sustainable food packaging as containment strategies (Hp3). This study found that total number of individuals caught were higher in Lake Orta (86) than in Lake Mergozzo (57) with a sex ratio M/F of 1.39 vs 3.07, respectively. However, its average Catches Per Unit Effort (CPUE) abundance in the two lakes was similar (Hp1). Individual growth was higher in Lake Mergozzo than in Lake Orta (Hp2). Producing crayfish-based biofilm from chitosan extracted from F. limosus exoskeleton may be a viable strategy for the species' containment (Hp3) at least in those countries where laws do not prevent their use and where reducing waste needs to become a pivotal practice. Our study is a valuable contribution to the deepening of knowledge on the ecology of F. limosus in the lakes of the Verbano area.

Forest litter is a critical component of soil ecosystem, providing habitats and food for a variety of organisms. Reducing erosion, conserving moisture and moderating temperature fluctuations, it acts as a protective layer for soils. Contextually, litter is a fundamental resource for soil microarthropods that, through feeding and shredding activity, contribute to litter breakdown and facilitate the nutrient access to plants and microorganisms. Despite their key role, researches regarding their community dynamics are still scarce. Therefore, the present research aimed to investigate changes in soil microarthropod community composition and trophy distribution under the main plant cover of the Mediterranean area such as pine (Pinus spp.), holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) and chestnut (Castanea spp.). Litter samples were collected and microarthropods were extracted and identified. Then, the relative abundance of microarthropods according to their trophy (detritivores, predators, omnivores and herbivores) was determined. The data revealed that: pine litter supported a community mainly composed by Prostigmata (38 %) and Oribatida (37 %) with higher percentage of detritivores (58 %); holm oak litter supported a community mainly composed by Prostigmata (42 %) and Oribatida (40 %) with similar partition between detritivores (49 %) and predators (49 %); chestnut litter hosted greater diversity in terms of species richness with higher percentage of detritivores (66 %). It can be supposed that litter quality and shape drive the composition of the soil microarthropod in terms of abundance of specific taxa and trophic role. In conclusion, soil microarthropod composition and functionality is strictly dependent on plant biodiversity exerting, in turns, effects on organic matter turnover.

Energy exchanges between benthic and pelagic domains are regulated by physical processes and trophic interactions among species, which support the Benthic-Pelagic coupling (BPC). Identifying the species or groups of species that most contribute to BPC and act as key couplers is of interest for understanding this important ecosystem process. This analysis explores the species contribution to the BPC within the Northern Ionian Sea (NIS) and Aegean Sea (AS) food webs modelled through the Ecopath mass-balance modelled approach.
Two original NIS and AS models composed by 51 and 44 functional groups (FGs) of species, respectively, were reorganized in a standard food-web model structure of 25 FGs for each one, to compare the results. Starting from consumption flows matrices of each standard model, the contribution of FGs to BPC was calculated through a Benthic-Pelagic Coupling Index (BPCI). BPCI summarized pelagic and benthic flows (downward, dQf) and those between benthic and pelagic domains (upward, uQf) based on consumption flows (t km^-2 y^-1) estimated for each FG, considered as both predators and prey (excluding non-living detritus groups), through the pelagic, benthopelagic, demersal, and benthic domains. In addition, FGs were classified as direct, mediating or partial couplers according to their domains of membership and completeness in coupling between the benthic and pelagic domains.
In both food webs, zooplankton and suprabenthic crustaceans were the main direct couplers. In the NIS, the main mediating couplers contributing to uQf were benthopelagic decapod crustaceans (35% of the total uQf), demersal non-piscivorous fishes (21%) and benthopelagic fishes (19%). In the AS, demersal non-piscivorous fishes (mediating couplers) showed the highest contribution to uQf (45%), while benthopelagic cephalopods contributed to 31% of the total dQf.
Results stress the importance of demersal and benthopelagic FGs in BPC mechanisms, supporting the energy and matter recycling in the ecosystem, and thus its productivity.

Climate change is inducing profound alterations at all levels of biological organization, from individual organisms to entire ecosystems. These shifts are expected to continue in response to ongoing climate warming, which is largely mediated by metabolic rate. As metabolic rate is one of the first traits of organisms to respond to climate change, forecasting the extent of this change by the end of the century would lay the groundwork for disentangling higher ecological impacts and informing conservation decisions for potential mitigation. Here, we aimed to predict the metabolic rate response of invertebrates, which serve as primary consumers in the trophic web, under the CMIP5 climate change scenarios. Our predictions showed that metabolic rates could increase substantially, with more pronounced increases in species living at high latitudes under the modest climate change scenario.

In marine phytoplankton ecology, biomass indices such as cell number or chlorophyll a determination may provide estimates of population abundances, but they do not account for the functional activity of species or groups. Conversely, molecular traits based on DNA and RNA, and ribosomal small subunit (18S rDNA) may be key for the metabolic dynamics in pelagic ecosystems. In this study, the metabolic activity has been assessed in two diatom species, Chaetoceros socialis and Skeletonema marinoi, typically occurring in the northwestern Adriatic Sea phytoplankton assemblages, by applying RNA/DNA and taxon-specific 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios. Significant correlations between abundance, chlorophyll a, carbon content and proteins were found (from rs=0.570 to rs =0.986, p<0.001). Biomass trend followed the logistic curve and during the initial stages of growth, the RNA/DNA and species-specific 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios of C. socialis and S. marinoi reached their maximum values (i.e., 23.2±1.5 and 15.3±0.8, and 16.2±1.6 and 30.1±5.4) after 2 and 6 days, respectively, in individual culture, with a subsequent sharp decreasing value for both species. In the co-cultured experiment, the maximum molecular ratio values were obtained after 4 days, in the exponential phase, showing values of 13.4±0.4 and 9.4±0.7 for total RNA/DNA and diatom 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios, respectively. Considering the molecular ratios for each target taxon, C. socialis and S. marinoi 18S rRNA/rDNA ratios showed maximum values of 24.4±2.0 and 8.2±0.7, for each species respectively, 4 days after the initial inoculum. These findings showed that changes in functional activity of primary producers may be associated with differences in RNA/DNA ratios, suggesting their potential as predictive tools for phytoplankton dynamics in coastal ecosystems that are subjected to pollution and climate pressures. Moreover, phytoplankton represents an important share of the first level of the trophic web and these ratios may be useful to evaluate coastal marine ecosystem productivity.

The Strait of Sicily (central Mediterranean Sea) is identified as a biodiversity hotspot able to provide multiple ecosystem services, supporting human life at different scales. However, the Strait of Sicily is one of the most threatened areas in the Mediterranean basin. Anthropogenic pressures are degrading its natural capital and the ability to provide ecosystem services, negatively affecting human well-being. In this context, the present study aimed to implement a multimethodological assessment framework to assess natural capital and ecosystem services in the Strait of Sicily, tracking changes over time. Combining Environmental and Ecosystems Accounting and conventional ecological indicators, the ecological and economic value of natural capital and ecosystem services was assessed.

The Eco-exergy method, coupled with the Shannon diversity index, was implemented to account for the complexity and organizational level of demersal natural capital stocks, monitoring changes in the last fifteen years. In addition, spatial and hotspot analyses were applied to identify areas exhibiting high natural capital and diversity values. Moreover, a set of environmental variables was investigated to link the decline of natural capital to environmental stressors.

The outcomes showed a decline in demersal natural capital stock and diversity, which is closely linked and discussed in relation to the observed trends of environmental variables in the investigated period. In addition, two ecological areas valuable for conservation purposes were identified.

Subsequently, the “System of Environmental-Economic Accounting Ecosystem Accounting” framework was applied to assess a set of ecosystem services provided by the Strait of Sicily, both in biophysical and monetary terms. Extent, condition and ecosystem services flow & use were assessed. Among ecosystem services, food provisioning, carbon sequestration, and nursery function were assessed. The method of willingness to pay for habitat conservation was also applied. Results will be useful to policymakers in charge of developing strategies to achieve impelling conservation actions and sustainability goals.

Rivers are dynamic systems which provide essential ecosystem functions (e.g., nutrients retention, climate regulation) and services (e.g., water supply, fish production) benefiting humans.

Many river ecosystems have been impacted by anthropogenic activities, for instance the construction of dams can degrade the hydromorphological conditions such as habitat loss and thus reduce biodiversity and alter ecosystem functioning.

As required by the EU Water Framework Directive, restoration river programs aim to reverse negative trends due to impacts, eliminate degradation causes and reinstate essential key processes.

In collaboration between UNIGE (Italy) and UFZ (Germany), a transdisciplinary methodology was developed and tested to assess the success of river restoration in terms of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the Ecker stream in Germany. This work was made possible by the Antonio Moroni award funded by SItE.

The analyses conducted within the European RESTOLINK project involved dividing the stream into three sections: a reference upstream reach (control), a middle section with an old weir (impacted), and a downstream site where an old weir has been replaced with a step-pool structure (restored). In each reach, classical methods to asses rivers status through biodiversity measurements are supplemented by biophysical quantification of the natural capital and ecosystem functions through emergy analysis. The latter is based on a donor-side perspective, able to value an ecosystem as production cost in terms of resources exploited to generate and maintain biomass and trophic network. Natural capital is then calculated in the three river sections to obtain a unique system measure to assess restoration efficacy and complement ecological status evaluations. Biophysical measures can be then converted into monetary terms in order to better communicate obtained results also to managers and integrating them into monitoring plans.

Mangroves represent one of the most biologically and ecologically important ecosystems in the world, providing habitat and food for various terrestrial, estuarine, and marine species. Furthermore, they have an estimated economic value of at least $1.6 billion per year as they provide several ecosystem services, including fisheries enhancement, coastal protection, carbon storage and sequestration, and promotion of tourism and recreational activities. However, in the Maldives, knowledge about mangroves is scarce and their importance is still underestimated. The aim of our project is to study these ecosystems and conduct the first ever survey of all mangroves in the Maldives to improve the understanding of their unique ecosystems in order to take more action to protect them from human impact. In our recently published paper, we reviewed all information on mangroves in the Maldives and found that mangrove ecosystems have been documented on 108 islands (9% of all Maldivian islands) with 14 different mangrove species. However, the number of studies is limited and the number of islands with mangroves is potentially higher. In this context, in our last expedition, we explored the mangroves of Laamu and Thaa Atolls. We explored 9 mangrove areas and found two more islands with mangroves unreported in literature. For each mangrove habitat, the different macro-types of mangrove habitat, i.e. fringing, lake-based, embayment, and swamp-based, were documented, and water parameters, including temperature, pH, salinity, and dissolved oxygen level were assessed. Furthermore, mangrove species were visually identified, and leaves samples were collected for identification with DNA barcoding. As the Maldives are experiencing an increasing demand for areas for agricultural expansion and coastal urban development and has recently been classified as critically endangered by the global assessment of IUCN, this work can push the authorities to ensure an effort in the management, protection, conservation, and restoration of these ecosystems.

Following the launch of the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting - Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) by the United Nations in 2021, ecosystem accounting has become a prevalent means of incorporating natural capital value into policymaking processes. Nevertheless, the reliability of such a tool depends on the accuracy and reliability of data at the level of individual ecosystems. This aspect is of particular importance when applied to deltaic environments, where aquatic ecosystems provide different and distinct bundles of ecosystem services (ES).

The present study aims to evaluate the diverse sets of ES delivered by four transitional wetlands, representing the aquatic ecosystems of the Po delta (Italy), based on empirical data gathered from primary sources. The results demonstrate that wetlands exhibit considerable variation in their qualitative and quantitative values, contingent upon their specific uses, management practices, and ecological characteristics. Coastal, closed lagoons and saltworks are primarily utilized for provisioning and cultural ES with direct market value, while other ES are of lesser monetary significance. In contrast, the value of regulating ES (i.e. water regulation) is prevalent in the inner wetlands.

Although primarily utilized for productivity purposes, the wetlands of the Po Delta exhibit distinct sets of ES according their specific features and differ in total ES value. By providing a detailed understanding of the ES provided by different wetland types, this study highlights the importance of tailored management practices to maximize the ecological and economic benefits of these critical ecosystems. The findings indicate a clear need for ecosystem-level studies in deltaic environments as a foundation for the scaling up of ecosystem accounting at regional and national levels.

European islands are hotspots of biological and cultural diversity. Compared to the mainland, they are more vulnerable to climate change, tourism development, uncontrolled land use changes and financial crises. Although ecosystem services assessments have been conducted worldwide in various geographical areas, islands -especially small and medium size ones- remain underrepresented.

SMILES (Enhancing Small-Medium IsLands resilience by securing the sustainability of Ecosystem Services) is a COST action that aims to provide a platform for coordinated interdisciplinary research on several aspects of mapping and assessing of ecosystems services in small/medium European Islands. The goal is to synthesize and strengthen the knowledge base for the conservation of island realms and contribute to their sustainable development. One of the expected output of SMILES is a comprehensive database of natural capital for all small and medium size islands.

The approach to achieve this result involved building a metadatabase that links islands to existing datasets of natural capital. First, we adopted a definition of natural capital to create a list of its components. Then, we compiled a list of islands (ranging from 1 km² to 10,000 km²), which included about 6,000 islands, considering all overseas territories, the entire Mediterranean basin, and more than 3,000 islands belonging to three countries (Russia, Norway and Denmark).

A novel approach to this evaluation was the inclusion of marine natural capital associated with the islands. By combining ecological zones, geographical factors and political borders, we delineated a buffer area around each island that can be considered part of its marine natural capital.

The final result is a global metadabase, available on COST action website that allows user to identify biodiversity and natural capital hotspots, island with natural heritages sites, or protected areas that can be prioritized in future conservation efforts.

Climate change and biodiversity crises are rooted in the narrow set of utilitarian values that are prioritized in current policymaking processes. Therefore, recognizing the plurality of nature’s values is a key step to enable a transformative change towards sustainability. In this work, we aim to explore the diversity of nature’s values and ecosystem services (ES) perceptions expressed by the citizens of the Venice lagoon, Italy. The 965 complete responses obtained from our survey revealed a diversity of values, with almost half of the respondents mentioning a combination of two or more values of nature, including intrinsic, relational and instrumental ones. The perceptions expressed on ES allowed to divide the sample into four clusters, which recognize the importance of the lagoon’s ES to different extents. Interestingly, these distinct ES perceptions are associated with different priorities in terms of nature’s values, and can be positioned along a gradient ranging from high to low alignment with sustainability principles. These results convey two key messages. First, part of the local community already recognizes the high importance of the lagoon’s ecological structures, processes and ES, and holds values aligned with sustainability principles. These perspectives and values should thus be recognized and embedded in the local decision making processes. Second, the citizens that currently fail to recognize the importance of ES are those to which the greatest efforts should be directed, to promote a shift towards sustainability-aligned values and behaviours. Understanding how ES are perceived complements existing ES assessments providing insights on which ES categories are poorly recognized, and can help to envisage new ways to convey their importance to the public and decision makers. From a leverage points perspective, working in these directions means to act upon crucial value-centred leverage points that can enable a transformative change towards a sustainable use of natural resources.

The recently approved Nature Restoration Law (NRL) sets targets for urban green space and tree cover. Concurrently, the proposal for an amendment to the EU Regulation on Environmental Accounts includes accounts for ecosystem extent, condition, and services for urban ecosystems, aligning with the UN Statistical Standard for Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA). The NRL anticipates increased urban green space and tree cover in each Member State until satisfactory levels are achieved. However, it remains unclear what defines a satisfactory level and how it will be evaluated, though it is expected to relate to optimal or good ecosystem condition as outlined in SEEA-EA. Here, we benchmark Italian urban ecosystems in terms of extent, condition, and services against European counterparts. Hopefully, initiating a discussion to better understand potential satisfactory levels. We conduct an overall comparison and a closer look at countries with similar climates and population size. We develop thematic urban ecosystem accounts for the latest year available in Copernicus data (2018). Specifically, we create accounts for ecosystem extent, four condition variables (green space, tree cover, imperviousness, and particulate matter (PM) concentration), and air filtration as an ecosystem service. Results show that Italian urban ecosystems have slightly more artificialized areas and fewer (peri)urban forests than the EU average. In general, condition variables and air filtration efficiency in Italian urban ecosystems are similar to European averages. However, PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ in Italian urban ecosystems exceed European averages by 3-7 μg/m³ (a 20% higher than the European average), varying seasonally. Italian medium-sized cities also show higher imperviousness per inhabitant and lower urban green per inhabitant than European counterparts, with regional variations within Italy. Overall, if satisfactory levels within NRL and related policies are defined as feasible general European values, Italy is unlikely to face major challenges, compared to most European counterparts, in meeting them.

Urbanization is a global mega-trend resulting from urban population growth, urban expansion and migration from rural to urban areas. Road and communication infrastructure have been improved across large parts of rural areas, and demographic projections show that upcoming urbanization will occur in peri-urban areas, as well as in small cities and interconnected towns. The distinction between rural and urban is becoming increasingly blurred; rather than two separate entities in their own right, rural and urban areas represent two ends of a spectrum, connected via numerous linkages across a rural–urban continuum. As urban forms expand into the rural realm, the extent and condition of natural and semi-natural ecosystems is increasingly threatened by human-induced pressures, while their capacity to maintain consistent supply of Ecosystem Services (ESs) is reduced, with cascading impacts on the quality of urban life. In this context, Green Infrastructures emerge as fundamental Nature-Based Solutions because they enable residents to experience multiple co-benefits through the ESs they provide, in line with a “One Health” vision.

We present a spatial analysis of ES provision and synergies/trade-offs along the urban–rural gradient for the metropolitan city of Rome. We focus our attention on two macro classes of human-induced environmental pressures that are particularly critical to the quality of life in urban contexts, namely air pollution and the Urban Heat Island effect. We found that all the selected ESs, besides a few exceptions, are provided as a bundle, which means they appear together repeatedly. On average, ES provision grows at comparable paces moving from the inner urban core towards peri-urban and rural areas. As a consequence, most densely urbanized areas were found to be ESs coldspots, that is low ES-supply areas, compared to peri-urban and rural areas. These findings may support the implementation of the recent European Nature Restoration Law in urban areas.

Urban trees play a fundamental role in enhancing the liveability of our cities by providing several ecosystem services, including stormwater retention, air and water quality improvement, and heat island mitigation. However, the complex interplay between green systems and urban environments poses challenges in accurately quantifying their contributions. To estimate these interactions and forecast their effects, several highly specialized modelling tools are available. Indeed, the lack of a comprehensive and user-friendly tool that could fully characterize and describe the interactions has been noticed.

This study aims to assess the performance of three models, the drainage model SWMM, the water-stress model URbanTRee and micro-meteorological model PALM, in reproducing green systems and urban environment interactions, particularly in terms of runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and thermal conditions.
We used a comparative analysis by parameterising the three models to the same case study, two well-monitored trees in TU-Campus, Berlin, with the same input data. The SWMM model, Storm Water Management Model, provided a high-resolution assessment of runoff and infiltration dynamics. The URbanTRee model focuses on runoff, infiltration, evapotranspiration and soil moisture dynamics. Finally, the PALM, an advanced model for atmospheric and oceanic boundary layer flow, stands out for simulating evapotranspiration, soil moisture and thermal conditions.

The model intercomparison showed the difficulties that arise due to different model interoperabilities, such as different parameterisation required, the different data formats, and the different space and time resolutions used. However, once normalized, it was possible, to determine which model best described each aspect of rainfall separation and which information got lost while applying different model scales and structures.

In conclusion, it was shown that comparative analyses among environmental models facilitate the choice, the implementation and thus the performance of these tools, resulting in a positive impact on urban planning, environmental management, and ecosystem service assessment.

In recent decades, mesophilic anaerobic digestion (AD) has been widely applied on an industrial scale for the energy valorisation of organic waste according to a sustainable Waste-to-Energy approach. Despite the numerous advantages of AD treatment, mainly the disposal of organic waste and the production of CH₄, the performance of the bioprocess can still be improved by optimising biotic and abiotic process parameters. This study evaluated the AD treatment of a mixture of two problematic wastes of predominantly urban origin, namely the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) and sludge from wastewater treatment plants (70% and 30%, respectively). To improve CH₄ production and yield and make the AD process more sustainable, two different strategies were compared, based on a non-conventional operating temperature (42°C) and the bioaugmentation of the microbial community in mesophilic condition (37°C), respectively. Two batch-configured experiments were conducted on a bench scale with acclimatized microbial communities monitoring CH₄ production and yield, fibre composition and microbial community characteristics. The results showed that a 5°C increase in operating temperature increased cumulative CH₄ production by 43.9%. However, bioaugmentation provided the best yields in terms of mL CH₄ production compared to the added volatile solid (VS). Furthermore, as bioaugmentation was performed at day 12 with the aim of reactivating the CH₄ process, it increased production by a further 19.2% and almost doubled the yields compared to the unaugmented condition (611.3 ± 3.2 vs 373.7 ± 28.1 mL CH₄ gVS^-1, respectively). The latter result is of particular interest for future research developments aimed at identifying strategies for recovering and enhancing the AD process in real plants, which are often subject to episodes of critical process conditions and inhibitory effects.

The European Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 is triggering significant investments in Green Infrastructure (GI) for enhancing ecological connectivity, especially between EU Natura2000 (N2K) sites scattered across highly anthropized landscapes. In agricultural matrices, although GI actions can improve the role of agroecosystems in supporting N2K functionality, priority deployment needs are still poorly investigated across Europe. Since well-planned networks of natural and semi-natural linear elements (LE) could enhance biodiversity and connectivity, these elements are among the landscape features to be increased in agricultural lands. At a finer detail of investigation, LE themselves can be considered ecosystem subtypes with varying conditions, but a comprehensive methodology is still needed to assess their capacity to support biodiversity.
This study aims to address these gaps by (i) categorizing NUTS3 in W-Mediterranean Europe based on N2K network features, landscape composition, and environmental heterogeneity, (ii) identifying N2K-related GI deployment needs with respect to nodes (protected areas) and links (residual woody elements in arable land), (iii) proposing an assessment method for LE conditions focused on biodiversity-support capacity and based on different structural, compositional and landscape indicators, (iv) exploring extrinsic factors that potentially affect LE conditions (contiguity to protected habitats and governance frameworks), and (v) identifying key LE features to be restored.
This landscape ecology approach allows challenges posed by land-use and climatic changes to be effectively addressed under a multi-level perspective. On the one hand, four GI deployment needs were identified and spatialized: restoring connectivity, consolidating node and link conservation, creating new protected areas, and expanding N2K sites. On the other hand, the proposed LE condition assessment method was tested in eight NUTS3 in Italy and Spain, where structural continuity was found to be the most important feature to be restored. The two levels of analysis are both useful for informing subsequent local actions aimed at N2K network improvement.

Biodiversity is the basis of life on Earth and global ecosystems can become unstable if biodiversity is destroyed. It provides essential biological resources and ecosystem services, for human society. However, the loss of biodiversity is severe and caused by several interacting drivers, accelerating the degradation of ecosystems. Climate change has multifaceted effects influencing biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Habitat fragmentation is also a major factor of biodiversity loss, as it degrades habitats and leads to a significant decrease in the living space available for various species. Within the context of the Broad Area Sites (BASs), called "Murge" and "Tirso", identified within Spoke 4 of the Future National Biodiversity Centre, the research objectives were: 1) the characterization of the biodiversity; and 2) the analysis of different drivers of biodiversity loss, such as land consumption and landscape fragmentation, analyzed through landscape metrics, as well as climate change. The most significant results revealed a high level of fragmentation both within and outside the protected areas characterizing both BASs, especially in priority habitats falling outside the protected areas. This is confirmed also by the dynamics of land consumption, mainly due to urban sprawl, which erodes important and fragile ecosystems, leading to a consequent loss of habitats and ecosystem services. In addition to this local driver, climate change could exacerbate the negative consequences of these changes according to the different capacity of habitats to adapt to extreme events. It is therefore crucial to compare and analyze areas within and outside protected areas to identify gaps in conservation management and strengthen biodiversity conservation priorities also in the context of climate change. These factors contribute to the loss of biodiversity, impacting local environments and global ecological balances and human well-being, highlighting the urgent need for sustainable land management practices that reconcile development goals with environmental conservation.

In the last decades, a global decline in biodiversity has been taking place due to the strong impact of anthropogenic activities. However, in large cities, refuge for pollinators persist and, from a One-Health and urban sustainability perspective, it is pivotal to understand how to properly characterize those ecological components contributing to pollination services in relation to changing landscapes. These components are mainly constituted by species diversity, their interactions and their functional traits, leading to different pollination success according to how the landscape influence them. This contribution will, firstly, delve into these components and how they should relate to pollination. Secondly, examples from several monitoring campaigns will be shown in relation to landscape features (e.g. forest patches, green area size, green area fragmentation). Data from monitoring of bee diversity in six main Italian cities and their interactions will be presented, showing how these may ultimately relate to the pollination of plants. This took place within the Spoke 5 activities (Urban Biodiversity) of the PNRR and NBFC plan. This contribution sheds light on the complex relationship between the environment and the regulating ecosystem services, contributing to a better understanding of how landscapes influence pollination, for a more sustainable and healthful urban environment.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are essential tools for preserving marine biodiversity. Ensuring MPAs’ ecological connectivity is one of the key criteria for establishing coherent reserve networks, promoting the resilience of marine communities to environmental perturbations. To this end, beta-diversity analyses, which measure dissimilarities/similarities among assemblages in terms of species composition, have proven to be effective for quantifying connectivity among MPAs across various spatial scales, from local to regional. The Campania region is represented by approximately 480 km of coasts and hosts four nationally designated MPAs, representing nearly 2% of the regional sea. To assess the ecological connectivity of the four MPAs, we investigated the taxonomic beta-diversity (expressed as pairwise Jaccard dissimilarity) of rocky benthic assemblages, including 36 protected sites plus 28 unprotected sites outside MPAs’ borders. This analysis allowed us to explore potential connectivity patterns and how the actual conservation settings can benefit from the allocation of new protected areas. We considered the two components of beta-diversity, i.e., turnover and nestedness, to untangle the processes determining the dissimilarities observed. Preliminary results showed that species pools across MPAs are quite similar (average dissimilarity is 52%), with turnover being the dominant component of dissimilarity between MPAs in terms of species composition. This suggests MPAs, protecting distinct species assemblages, can contribute to protect representative portions of the regional biodiversity. Including unprotected locations in the analysis led to spatial scale-dependent increases in the nestedness component, suggesting the effects of human pressures as potential drivers of the observed patterns. However, the role of these locations in supporting the species dispersal and resilience within the network is also discussed. The integration of these results with particle dispersion models, showing marine currents flow and velocity, can be a profitable strategy for the identification of linked sites across the study area.

Improving forests health and resilience is one of the goals of the New EU 2030 Forest Strategy and of the EU 2030 Biodiversity Strategy because forests provide many ecosystem services. In Mediterranean areas, wildfires are recurrent anthropogenic disturbances causing forest ecosystems degradation. This is of particular concern in areas of conservation interest that are increasingly affected by wildfires. A transdisciplinary and multiscale approach is adopted in the PRIN Project 20222CT8J3 FLER_MeCoFor to evaluate wildfires legacies through specific structural and functional indicators, based on field, ancillary, and satellite data. The project aims to assess the effect of recurrent wildfires in the Natura 2000 (N2K) site IT9130006—Pinewoods of the Ionian Arch (Apulia region, Southern Italy) which hosts the Habitat of Priority Interest 2270* (Wooded dunes with Pinus pinea and/or Pinus pinaster). At the landscape level the role of fire refugia in post-fire ecological succession is being investigated at two spatial scales (N2K forest landscape and the 9 individual stands comprised). This is based on the reconstruction, presented here, of the 1980 to 2020 fire regime and fire refugia spatio-temporal pattern and recovery time, within burned forest patches. Over the 40 years interval 22 (frequency 0.55) wildfires were mapped and characterised in terms of fire severity using ancillary and LANDSAT imageries. More than half (55.66%) of the total landscape area (1893.60 ha) was disturbed (mean fire size 47.91±46.98 ha) and 7.26 % of the burned area was classified as fire refugia (mean size 3.48±4.19 ha). Individual stands exhibit different fire regimes and fire refugia (permanent vs non-permanent) recovery space-time pattern. This confirms fire regime scale-dependency and underlies differential resilience dynamics and pathways of fire refugia and their neighbouring areas. These aspects are being further investigated at the ecosystem level by considering the effects of different fire severities on vegetation and soil properties.

Coastal areas, placed between land and sea, host a highly specialized biodiversity that is consistently impinged by human activities. Remote sensing (RS) offers sound support for describing and modelling landscape dynamics.

Based on multi-temporal landscape analysis we explored the main dynamic processes shaping landscape changes in the Central Adriatic coasts over the last 70 years. We specifically compared dynamic processes and landscape changes inside and outside coastal LTER (Long Term Ecological Research) sites, which offer a perfect playground for studying and modelling ecological processes.

We focused on a coastal tract (Molise region) that hosts two LTER sites (IT20-003-T: Foce Saccione-Bonifica Ramitelli and IT20-002-T: Foce Trigno–Marina di Petacciato) that are also included in the N2K network (IT7222217 and IT7228221).

Based on fine-scale (1:5000) multi-temporal land cover maps (1954, 1986, 2022), we calculated transition matrices and identified the main dynamic processes (e.g. urban expansion, seashore erosion, etc.) occurring on two-time steps (1954-1986; 1986-2022). We compared landscape processes inside and outside LTER sites implementing a Random Forest model (RF).

Major changes occurred in the first time step (1954-1986) with Agriculture expansion and forestation processes dominating inside LTER sites and urbanization outside. In the second time step (1986-2022) coastal landscape resulted more dynamic inside LTER sites with naturalization being the main process. This second period registered minor changes with curtailed expansion of agriculture and urban areas on both landscapes (inside and outside LTER sites) which do not align with the global trend of coastal urbanization.

The increased understanding of the main dynamic processes shaping coastal landscapes provides new elements and updated information useful for managing and conserving coastal areas.

Human activities such as urbanization, tourism, and invasive species increasingly threaten coastal dune ecosystems, which provide essential ecosystem services. Effective conservation and management require understanding dune vegetation’s structure and function, focusing on eco-functional characteristics. This study analyzes and maps eco-functional plant classes in Molise, southern Italy, using high-resolution remote sensing and plant functional traits. Forty-six taxa were identified, including diagnostic species for various EUNIS habitats, during vegetation sampling of 67 sites in the "Foce Trigno-Marina di Petacciato" LTER area. Ecological indicator values for soil moisture, nitrogen, reaction, light, and temperature were extracted, and traits such as life form, height, seed mass, and dispersal distance were analyzed. High-resolution remote sensing data was acquired using unmanned aerial vehicles with RGB, multispectral, and LiDAR sensors.

Model calibration involved evaluating multicollinearity and retaining critical vegetation and remote sensing variables. Vegetation clusters were identified using K-means clustering based on scaled vegetation variables. A model with four classes and five attributes (seed mass, dispersal distance class, ecological indicator value for temperature, Berger-Parker, and Simpson dominance index for life forms) was chosen from 2544 potential models for its ecological relevance. This model illustrated distinct eco-functional classes associated with specific dune habitats. Significant taxa for classification included Eryngium maritimum and Thinopyrum junceum, recognized for their ecological and diagnostic value.

The final eco-functional maps revealed heterogeneity in both dunes, with Class 1 prevalent near the coast and Class 4 more isolated. One dune exhibited distinct horizontal zonation with repeating bands, while the other showed a subtle mosaic pattern. This comprehensive approach, combining field sampling and advanced remote sensing, provides a robust framework for studying coastal dune vegetation. Insights into ecosystem resilience can guide strategies to mitigate environmental threats and enhance conservation efforts. Future research should refine these models and extend their applicability to other coastal regions.

Invasive alien plants negatively affect biodiversity and ecosystem services. The EU Copernicus Mission delivers free remote sensing data, facilitating cost-effective and timely monitoring of invaded areas. This study deploys multispectral (Sentinel-2) and thermal (Sentinel-3) satellites to characterize ecophysiological traits of vegetation patches invaded by Ailanthus altissima in Sardinia, and analyzes seasonal ecophysiological changes between highly invaded and native vegetation classes. A total of 176 invaded patches and their non-invaded buffer areas were identified on aerial orthophotos, digitized and rasterized at the resolution of 20 m². These cells were classified to the second level of the regional vegetation map (Carta della Natura) in A. altissima and native vegetation classes. A. altissima dominance was found in six vegetation classes: Mediterranean maquis, Mediterranean sub-nitrophilous grassland, deciduous woody vegetation, evergreen woody vegetation, agricultural herbaceous areas, and agricultural woody areas. After, we calculated a set of spectral indices as proxies of leaf chlorophyll and carotenoid content (CVI, SIPI3), productivity and canopy biomass (EVI, LAI), leaf water content (NMDI, MSI), soil features (CI), and daily evapotranspiration. We analyzed the monthly trends of these indices in invaded patches and buffer areas and their seasonal differences between invaded and not invaded cells, using linear mixed models (LMMs), two-way ANOVA, and Estimated Marginal Means. Our results highlighted the potential of Copernicus mission in capturing the temporal trends of ecophysiological spectral traits in invaded areas, as the high conditional R² values of LMMs ranged from 0.522 of CVI to 0.776 of LAI. The greatest significant differences between invaded and not invaded cells were observed during summer, i.e. higher productivity and canopy biomass, greater leaf water content, lower leaf carotenoid content, and lower bare soil presence. These results confirmed that A. altissima might have a competitive advantage over native vegetation, especially during the summer drought period of the Mediterranean basin.

The interactions among individuals, either vertical and horizontal, occur in space, and the space units can be conceptually described by the individual home range. However, while the home range concept is clearly defined as the spatial area required by an individual to satisfy its overall needs over the life cycle, its operationality and comparability can be hindered due to the complexity of individual behavior, such as sociality, and life cycle, as well as the absence of a standardized individual tracking system for most, if not all, species. Thus, the concept of home range can only be fully operational and comparable when the temporal and spatial scales are appropriately defined, based on the specific scientific questions being addressed. Here, we present a few study cases, covering both terrestrial and aquatic species, at local and global scale, using field and laboratory data to analyze the actual concept consistent with the data used, which allows assessment of home-range size and gives insights into the underlying mechanisms. When the spatial area required by an individual to satisfy its overall needs is contextualized to the competitive interactions between individuals of the same or different species, a time frame and an individual tracking system can be adapted to describe and analyze the spatial extent where interactions occur as well as the resource-mediated interaction among individuals. As all interactions occur in space, a proper, modular, definition of home range seems suitable to assign a spatial extent to intra and interspecific interactions among competing individuals.

The study of food webs represents a valuable tool for understanding the ecological dynamics that shape energy flows and predator-prey relationships. Because of their relative stability, food webs are also a good proxy for assessing anthropogenic impacts at the ecosystem level. On this basis, within the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Member States are required to assess the status of the marine food web in the context of Descriptor 4, specifically considering the diversity and productivity of trophic guilds. One of the most widely used approaches for assessing the structure and functioning of marine trophic networks is based on the use of stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen (δ13C and δ15N), which are particularly useful for understanding the trophic ecology of a wide range of taxa whose diet composition may be impractical to assess through traditional approaches (e.g., stomacal content analysis). However, such data are scarce and have not been collected systematically, often making it difficult to assess the status of marine trophic webs. Here we present ISOMED, a georeferenced database of published isotopic values of δ13C and δ15N and elemental carbon and nitrogen composition of basal organic matter sources and consumers collected in the Mediterranean Sea. The reported information includes data for more than 5000 records at the species/taxa level. ISOMED provides a unique tool to study interactions and energy fluxes for components of the Mediterranean food web and contribute to the operationalization of ecosystem indicators for the assessment of Good Environmental Status.