PhD in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnologies

Contacts

Supervisor

Phd thesis

Resonse of benthic communities and river ecosystem processes to climate change. In my PhD thesis there will be the results obtained by the analysis of CPOM decomposition processes in previously perennial Alpine streams (NW-Italian Alps); some of the selected sampling reaches faced riverbed drying events, while others can be used as a control because remained perennial during the whole sampling campaign. We investigated in-stream leaf litter decomposition, performing dry mass, Ash Free Dry Mass and elemental content analyses (C:N). The community of macroinvertebrates present in the leaf litter bags was investigated too, with a particular focus on EPT taxa and shredders macroinvertebrates. In order to better understand the process, analyses on the communities of Bacteria and Fungi present in our leaf samples were performed, using DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing. In conclusion, we can state that drying conditions had negatively affected all the investigated parameters: leaf decomposition, macroinvertebrate community and microconsumers involved in the conditioning process.

Research activities

Research based on the study of lotic environments, especially on the effects of global climate change and human pressures on stream ecosystems. Field activity is based on Alpine streams, thanks to the recent birth of the Alpine Streams Research Center (ALPSTREAM). The research conducted during the three years of PhD was focused on the study of CPOM degradation processes in perennial streams and in reaches that dry, especially during winter-early spring, which is a recent phenomenon due to the effects of human pressures and climate change. Field work, lab work and data analyses were performed. In the lab we studied the decomposition process assessing dry mass and AFDM, macroivertebrates were determined to the lowest taxonomic level possible using a stereomicroscope and then microconsumers community was invetigated using DNA extraction, amplification and sequencing of our leaf samples; this last part was performed abroad at Benbow Lab, Michigan State University. Elemental analyses were performed at University of Turin, thanks to the collaboration of Prof. Michele Freppaz and Dott. Marco Prati.

Publications