Curriculum Ecology and Ethology, University of Parma. N & P pathways studied with network analysis in hypertrophic estuaries The Ecological Network Analysis (ENA) allows to disentangle the importance of co-occurring processes, the role of different taxa within a community, to interpret food web interactions and to compare web networks using system-level indices (Wulff et al., 1989; Borrett and Lau 2014; Christian et al. 2016; Salas and Borrett 2011; Ulanowicz and Puccia 1990). The purpose of this PhD proposal is to analyze, via combined experimental and modelling (ENA) approaches, the share of N &P fluxes among bacteria, macrofauna, primary producers, fish and birds in two hypereutrophic estuarine systems. Main aim is to address the relevance of biotic and abiotic compartments as N & P sources to macroalgae and cyanobacteria. References Borrett, S. R., M. K. Lau. 2014. enaR: An R package for Ecosystem Network Analysis. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 5: 1206-1213. Christian, R. R., V. F. Camacho-Ibar, M. F. Piehler, and A. R. Smyth. 2016. Improved understanding of nitrogen cycle through network models in coastal ecosystems. In: E. Wolanski and D. McLusky (chief eds.), Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Netherlands. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-409548-9.09729-3 Salas, A. K., and S. R. Borrett. 2011. Evidence for the dominance of indirect effects in 50 trophic ecosystem networks. Ecol. Modell. 222: 1192-1204. Ulanowicz, R. E., and C. J. Puccia. 1990. Mixed trophic impacts in ecosystems. Coenoses. 5: 7-16. Wulff, F., J. G. Field, and K. H. Mann. 1989. Network Analysis in Marine Ecology: Methods and Applications. Springer-Verlag, Berlin. Curriculum: Evolution, University of Firenze. Compartmentalization of biosynthetic enzymes in bacterial cells This project aims at evaluating the formation of multi-enzymatic complexes (metabolons) in bacterial cells using as model systems the two metabolic pathways responsible for the biosynthesis of the aminoacids histidine and tryptophan. To this purpose a multiple experimental approach based on the utilization of genetic, biochemical and electron microscopy techniques will be used. References 1 BRILLI, M. and FANI. R. (2004). The origin and evolution of eucaryal HIS7 genes: from metabolon to bifunctional proteins? Gene: 339, 149-160 MATHEWS, C.K., 1993. The cell-bag of enzymes or network of channels? J. Bacteriol. 175, 6377– 6381. PAPALEO M.C., RUSSO E., FONDI M., EMILIANI G., FRANDI A., BRILLI M. , PASTORELLI R,, FANI R. (2009) Structural, evolutionary and genetic analysis of the histidine biosynthetic “core” in the genus Burkholderia. Gene 448, 16-28 PEDLEY A.M. AND (2017) BENKOVIC S.J. A New View into the Regulation of Purine Metabolism: The Purinosome. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 42, 141-154 SRERE, P. (1987). Complexes of sequential metabolic enzymes. Ann Rev Bhiochem 56, 89-124 SRERE P. (2000). Macromolecular interactions: tracing the roots. Trends in Biochemical Sciences 25, 150-153 Curriculum Ecology and Ethology, University of Ferrara. Green Infrastructures and Ecosystem Services in Anthropic and Urban spaces The candidate considering some urban ecosystems, with different geographical / environmental characteristics (plains, hills, mountains) and climatic features, but of equivalent population number and density, or the ecosystems along a gradient of urbanization, will estimate the extension of urban green areas and will evaluate their role with respect to Ecosystem Services of regulation (run -off, CO2 absorption, reduction PM10 and 2,5) and Cultural Services. The typology of present plants will be estimated and through the estimation of the LAI the gaseous exchange values will be obtained. Based on the size of the plants (height and diameter of the stem, shape and extension of the foliage) we will estimate the role in the regulation of the water cycle. Finally, Cultural Services will be estimated by giving ad hoc surveys to population samples. The results will allow to give indications of governance for the improvement of urban resilience. References Elmqvist, T., Setälä, H., Handel, S. N., Van Der Ploeg, S., Aronson, J., Blignaut, J. N., et al. (2015). Benefits of restoring ecosystem services in urban areas. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 14, 101-108. Fusaro, L., Salvatori, E., Mereu, S., Marando, F., Scassellati, E., Abbate, G., Manes, F. (2015). Urban and peri-urban forests in the metropolitan area of Rome: Ecophysiological response of Quercus ilex 2 L. in two green infrastructures in an ecosystem services perspective. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 14(4), 1147-1156. Gómez-Baggethun, E., & Barton, D. N. (2013). Classifying and valuing ecosystem services for urban planning. Ecological Economics, 86, 235-245. Haase, D., Larondelle, N., Andersson, E., Artmann, M., Borgström, S., Breuste, J. et al. (2014). A quantitative review of urban ecosystem service assessments: concepts, models, and implementation. Ambio, 43(4), 413-433. Kremer, P., Hamstead, Z. A., McPhearson, T. (2016). The value of urban ecosystem services in New York City: A spatially explicit multicriteria analysis of landscape scale valuation scenarios. Environmental Science & Policy, 62, 57-68. Larondelle, N., & Haase, D. (2013). Urban ecosystem services assessment along a rural–urban gradient: A cross-analysis of European cities. Ecological Indicators, 29, 179-190. Livesley, S. J., McPherson, E. G., Calfapietra, C. (2016). The urban forest and ecosystem services: Impacts on urban water, heat, and pollution cycles at the tree, street, and city scale. Journal of environmental quality, 45(1), 119-124. Manes, F., Marando, F., Capotorti, G., Blasi, C., Salvatori, E., Fusaro, L., et al. (2016). Regulating Ecosystem Services of forests in ten Italian Metropolitan Cities: Air quality improvement by PM10 and O3 removal. Ecological indicators, 67, 425-440. Pappalardo, V., La Rosa, D., Campisano, A., La Greca, P. (2017). The potential of green infrastructure application in urban runoff control for land use planning: A preliminary evaluation from a southern Italy case study. Ecosystem Services, 26, 345-354. Tzoulas, K., Korpela, K., Venn, S., Yli-Pelkonen, V., Kaźmierczak, A., Niemela, J., James, P. (2007). Promoting ecosystem and human health in urban areas using Green Infrastructure: A literature review. Landscape and urban planning, 81(3), 167-178. Curriculum: Biology and Biotechnology of plants, University of Firenze. Taxonomic and functional diversity of the plant communities of the grasslands deserving of conservation. The proposed research would have as its object the interaction between management models and ecological theories, focusing on: 1) processes that determine the coexistence of the species in local communities, and their variation over time, including both the natural dynamic processes and the response of the species to different management models; 2) floristic, genetic and morphological- 3 functional diversity of the species that characterize these communities, and the variations induced by disturbance (eg. grazing / mowing), stress (eg. oligotrophy) or competition/exclusion effects. References Dengler, J, Janisová, M, Török, P & Wellstein, C. 2014. Biodiversity of Palaearctic grasslands: a synthesis. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 182: 1–14 Kraft, N. J., & Ackerly, D. D. (2014). Assembly of plant communities. In Ecology and the Environment (pp. 67-88). Springer New York. Grime, J.P. (1977) Evidence for the existence of three primary strategies in plants and its relevance to ecological and evolutionary theory. American Naturalist, 111, 1169–1194 Moog, D., Kahmen, S., & Poschlod, P. (2005). Application of CSR-and LHS-strategies for the distinction of differently managed grasslands. Basic and Applied Ecology, 6(2), 133-143. M. Westoby (1998) A leaf–height–seed (LHS) plant ecology strategy scheme. Plant and Soil, 199, pp. 213-227 Pierce, S., Negreiros, D., Cerabolini, B.E.L., Kattge, J., Díaz, A., Kleyer, M., Shipley B., Wright, J.S., Soudzilovskaia, N.A., (...) & Tampucci, D. 2017. A global method for calculating plant CSR ecological strategies applied across biomes world–wide. Functional Ecology 31: 444–457. Curriculum Ecology and Ethology, University of Parma. Behavioural ecology of the ant-fauna as a tool for the analysis of the human impact on urban biodiversity Cities are in actual fact urban ecosystems that is environments where human beings strongly interact with many other abiotic and biotic components. In this context, ants represent a group of particular interest because they are widespread and well-adapted to live in close proximity with man. Besides, they are homogeneous from a taxonomical point of view as they belong all to the same family, but at the same time they are also very diverse because species evolved a variety of adaptations promoting ant colonisation of many ecological niches. For all these reasons, ants are good candidates for the evaluation of human impact on urban biodiversity. However, more detailed studies are needed to confirm ants as a target group in this context. References 4 ARONSON M.F.J., LEPCZYK C.A., EVANS K.L., GODDARD M.A., LERMAN S.B., MACIVOR J.S., NILON C.H., VARGO T. 2017. Biodiversity in the city: key challenges for urban green space management. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 15: 189–196. DOI: 10.1002/fee.1480 CERDÁ X., ARNAN X., RETANA J. 2013. Is competition a significant hallmark of ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) ecology? – Myrmecological News 18: 131-147. DEL TORO I., RIBBONS R.R.,