Welcome to the Molecular and Evolutionary Ecology Lab
at the Tuscia University
Our research activity is at the interface of ecology, evolution and conservation biology, mainly employing molecular approaches to investigate population- and species-level patterns of diversity, and to inform wildlife conservation practices. More recently we have opened to the study of phenotypic integration and its genomic underpinnings.
Ongoing (basic) research activities in our lab are mainly focused around the following key questions:
Ongoing (basic) research activities in our lab are mainly focused around the following key questions:
Why are hotspots of intraspecific diversity so hot?
Hotspots of intraspecific diversity have been observed in many species, often within areas of putative glacial refugia, and are increasingly considered as major conservation targets. Their existence has mostly been considered as the product of long-term stability of large refugial populations. However, growing evidence are showing that genetic diversity is often not only higher within refugial areas, but also deeply structured, suggesting the involvement of microevolutionary processes other than long-term demographic stability. Using population genetic, phylogeographic and historical demographic approaches, we are investigating the contribution of these processes to current patterns of genetic and phenotypic diversity in several areas of the Mediterranean basin where hotspots of intraspecific diversity have been observed for multiple co-distributed species.
What is the role of in-situ evolution in shaping patterns of intraspecific diversity on islands?
While it is now well established that glacial-interglacial cycles have deeply affected the demographic and range dynamics of temperate species, determining how they exert this influence is still an active field of research. There is growing evidence that a simple model of glacial contraction in the southern refugia followed by interglacial northward expansion does not adequately explain all the available data. We are investigating whether glaciation-induced increases in suitable habitats (e.g. along the coastline for lowland-adapted species) could have counterbalanced the glacial shifts of thermal optima in previously occupied areas, leading to net demographic stability or even expansions during these periods. Our first results, based on genetic data and paleo-distribution modelling, suggest that this could have actually occurred in various species from different areas.
What can anthropogenic hybrid zones tell us about the role of hybridization in evolution?
Hybridization can have a wide range of evolutionary and ecological consequences on both the hybridizing lineages and the ecological community. These consequences have traditionally been investigated by studying historically formed hybrid zones. Recently, however, the introduction of non-native species within the range of their close relatives, and the range variations driven by recent environmental changes, are providing new windows on these processes. For instance, recently formed hybrid zones allow us to investigate what happens during the early stages of secondary contacts, and what is the relevance of some transient processes - which, by definition, could not leave traces detectable after the early stages of hybridization - on the resulting patterns of diversity at the level of population, species and community. We are studying genetic, ecological and conservation consequences of the recent formation of secondary contact zones among lineages of amphibians and small mammals, in several areas along the Italian peninsula.
