Department of
Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics

Zoology

The laboratory activities combine Ethology, Ecology and Evolution, with a particular focus on the nektonic fauna of transitional environments. These scientific branches provide interesting applications in the field of conservation biology, with a particular concern for the management of wildlife and the protection of biological diversity. The topics and projects developed in recent years concern:

  • Wildlife monitoring with non-invasive methods, such as bio-acoustic methodologies and photo-video trapping
  • Behavioural ecology and the biological cycle of animal species of particular conservation interest, that can be used as study models or ecological indicators;
  • Evolution of sound communication in teleost fish.
Research Group

Collaborators

  • Luca Altavilla
  • Mirko Liuzzo
  • Arianna Spada

Lines of Research

  • 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.

Collaborations

Publications

  • Marta Picciulin, Matteo Zucchetta, Chiara Facca, Stefano Malavasi: Boat-induced pressure does not influence breeding site selection of a vulnerable fish species in a highly anthropized coastal area. MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN, vol. 180: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113750 (2022)
  • Francesco Cavraro, Chiara Facca, Muhammad Naseer, Stefano Malavasi: Comparing the reproductive success of three Palaemonid species in a Mediterranean coastal lagoon: native and invasive responses to salinity changes. HYDROBIOLOGIA, vol. 849: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10750-021-04736-1 (2022)
  • Mirko Liuzzo, Dario Ottonello, Stefano Malavasi: Population abundance, structure and movements of the European pond turtle, Emys orbicularis (Linnaeus 1758) based on capture-recapture data in a Venice Lagoon wetland area, Italy. ETHOLOGY ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION, vol. 33: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03949370.2020.1870567 (2021)
  • Francesco Cavraro, Chiara Facca, Stefano Malavasi: A comparative analysis of habitat quality between artificial and natural creeks in the Mediterranean killifish Aphanius fasciatus: Implications for conservation. AQUATIC CONSERVATION-MARINE AND FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS, vol. 31: http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aqc.3532 (2021)
  • Francesco Cavraro, Stefano Malavasi: Sound production in the Ponto-Caspian goby Neogobius fluviatilis and acoustic affinities within the Gobius lineage: implications for phylogeny. BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, vol. 117: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bij.12696 (2016)

Equipment

  • Experimental water tanks with continuous recirculation, of different capacities (from 10 to 200 L)
  • Hydrophone and field recorder, laboratory hydrophones
  • Digital cameras for video-recording of behavior in the aquarium
  • Stereoscope Nikon mod. SMZ745T
  • Salinometers, thermometers, turbidimeters, hygrometers, oximeters for the analysis of the abiotic characteristics of water and mud

Research projects

PL_ASTICI - Phenotypic plasticity in a rapidly changing word: an ontogenetic perspective for improving aquaculture and conservation practices of the European lobster

Marine decapods are increasingly exploited worldwide. Among them, the European lobster (Homarus gammarus Linneus, 1758), reaches one of the highest commercial value and wild stocks are severely impacted by overfishing. The research will be dedicated to the analysis of the phenotypic plasticity of juvenile European lobster Homarus gammarus in the prospectivity of restocking actions. The work will use two populations (Tyrrhenian and Adriatic) and will be mainly developed at the facilities of the University of Tuscia (Unitus), Department of Ecological and Biological Sciences. Unitus has well established structures dedicated to the housing and handling of this species. The main objective is to increase the probability of success of restocking actions, favouring the survival of released juveniles. Laboratory tests and post-release field tests will be conducted in order to:

  1. explore how and to what extent environmental conditions affect the ontogeny of the species,
  2. explore how to determine the behavioural repertoire of individuals in order to improve their performance and ecological competence in nature.

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/

Last update: 22/09/2025