Zoology

• Behavioral and evolutionary ecology of estuarine nektonic species
  Behavioral and ecological aspects are investigated, with a particular focus on reproduction, social behavior, habitat use and life history traits of lagoon nektonic species of Community interest, included in the annexes of the EU Habitats Directive, such as the Mediterranean cyprodontid Aphanius fasciatus. The information deriving from the study of these species can be combined in order to use these species as ecological indicators for the protection and restoration of the lagoon habitats’ diversity and complexity. In addition, interactions among the populations of decapod crustaceans belonging to the Palemonid family are investigated, focusing on the effects of an invasive alien species (Palaemon macrodactylus) on congeneric native species.

• Passive acoustic monitoring and soundscapes at the lagoon port mouths
  The project was funded by Venezia 2021 (Corila, Consortium for the coordination of research related to the Venice system, line 3, theme 3.3) with the aim of monitoring the distribution of the breeding areas of the marine-coastal fish species of conservation interest, brown meagre Sciaena umbra, in the areas of the three lagoon inlets (Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia) and to simultaneously characterize the levels of environmental noise of anthropic origin, by means of the passive listening method  (passive acoustic monitoring by hydrophone).

• Eco-ethology, distribution and use of habitat in vertebrates of conservation interest
  Two recent PhD projects have investigated spatial distribution, eco-ethology and habitat use of the European pond turtle Emys orbicularis, at the WWF oasis of Valle Averto (state nature reserve, South Lagoon) and of the wild cat Felis silvetris, at the National Park of the Belluno Dolomites. Both researches were carried out with the support and cooperation of the association OASI WWF and the Public Body National Park of the Belluno Dolomites.

• Evolution of sound communication in Teleost fish
  Some families of Teleost fish, such as gobiidae (Gobiiformes, gobiidae) are used as models for the study of the evolution of sound communication. The vocal repertoires of species belonging to Mediterranean and ponto-Caspian groups are analyzed with a comparative approach to reconstruct the phylogeny of taxa on acoustic bases.

Venice 2021 Scientific research program for a "regulated" lagoon

Brown meagre is a target fish species of artisanal and recreational fishing in the Mediterranean Sea and it is classified as Vulnerable by IUCN. The results of the project indicate that the brown meagre reproduces in the Venice inlets; this is relevant for the conservation of the species, being the reproductive behavior closely associated with the resilience of fish stocks in the wild. It is also even more relevant if we consider brown meagre as an ecological indicator of the entire nektonic community, associated with artificial rocky habitats. The choice of breeding sites in the Venice inlets is not influenced by the noise of the boats, but by other factors related to the structure of the habitat. Moreover, the project provides the assessment of the soundscape at the inlets in terms of both anthropogenic noise and sounds of biological origin, on the basis of which it was possible to detect the presence not only of the target species but also of other species.

Website: http://venezia2021.corila.it/muto-come-un-pesce-non-proprio/

REFIND: remote fossil remains search strategies: application of multispectral images and Species Distributional Modelling for large-scale paleontological investigation

REFIND is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie IF (Individual Fellowship) (2018-2021) project directed by Ca' Foscari in collaboration with the University of Oregon (USA). The project aims to recover new fossil records in desert areas, using high-resolution multispectral images obtained from satellites and drones. The results of the remote analysis will be tested in several already known sites that have returned records of dinosaurs, remains of the first mammals, and ancestors of the current whales, in Oregon, Peru, Niger and Egypt. Where the forest cover will not allow the use of these images, spatial distribution estimation algorithms, commonly used for current species, will be applied to some target species of the interspecific variability of the late Pleistocene. Spatial analysis  will be carried out for European species, to highlight possible gaps in the paleontological records and to verify the response of these species to the anthropogenic development of the late Pleistocene.

Website: https://www.unive.it/refind