PhD in Biological Sciences and Applied Biotechnologies

Contacts

Supervisor

Research activities

My research focuses on the ecology of bats in urban environments, and how they may be used as bioindicators of anthropogenic disturbance.

Bats are promising candidates to track the effects of urbanisation and, more generally, human footprint on biota: their presence can be easily recorded by acoustic surveys, and their response to urbanisation is highly species-specific. While some species can exploit urban habitats for roosting and foraging, many studies showed a general decrease in bat species richness and activity in urban areas compared with forested habitats and suburban and rural areas. Through a city-scale and a regional-scale project, my goal is to deepen the issues of anthropization and provide suggestions about how to guide it towards a balance between human and wildlife needs.

Part of my work is carried out using citizen science approaches, with the view that a sustainable future is only possible through the involvement and awareness of entire population on environmental issues.

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Research products

Gili, F., Newson, S.E., Gillings, S., Chamberlain, D.E., Border, J.A. (2020). Bats in urbanising landscapes: habitat selection and recommendations for a sustainable future. Biological Conservation, 241, 108343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108343

Marta, S., Azzoni, R.S., Fugazza, D., Tielidze, L., Chand, P., Sieron, K., Almond, P., Ambrosini, R., Anthelme, F., Alviz Gazitúa, P., Bhambri, R., Bonin, A., Caccianiga, M., Cauvy-Fraunié, S., Ceballos Lievano, J.L., Clague, J., Cochachín Rapre, J.A., Dangles, O., Deline, P., Eger, A., Cruz Encarnación, R., Erokhin, S., Franzetti, A., Gielly, L., Gili, F., Gobbi, M., Guerrieri, A., Hågvar, S., Khedim, N., Kinyanjui, R., Messager, E., Morales-Martínez, M.A., Peyre, G., Pittino, F., Poulenard, J., Seppi, R., Chand Sharma, M., Urseitova, N., Weissling, B., Yang, Y., Zaginaev, V., Zimmer, A., Diolaiuti, G.A., Rabatel, A., Ficetola, G.F. (2021). The Retreat of Mountain Glaciers since the Little Ice Age: A Spatially Explicit Database. Data, 6, 107. https://doi.org/10.3390/data6100107

Piccini, I., Pittarello, M., Gili, F., Dotta, A., Lorizzo, R., Magnani, C., Grieco, P., Lonati, M., Bertolino, S., Bonelli, S. (2022). Using Forest Compensation Funds to Reverse Biodiversity Loss: A Case Study of Turin–Lyon High-Speed Railway Line. Sustainability, 14(8), 4411. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14084411

Pollo, A., Piccini, I., Chiara, J., Porro, E., Chiantore, D., Gili, F., Alba, R., Barbi, A., Bogliani, G., Bagliani, M., Doretto, A., Ruffino, C., Malenotti, E., Garazzino, A., Pelosini, R., Siniscalco, C., Bonelli, S. (2022). An Innovative Approach for Subnational Climate Adaptation of Biodiversity and Ecosystems: The Case Study of a Regional Strategy in Italy. Sustainability, 14(10), 6115. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14106115

Guerrieri, A., Carteron, A., Bonin, A., Marta, S., Ambrosini, R., Caccianiga, M., Cantera, I., Compostella, C., Diolaiuti, G., Fontaneto, D., Gielly, L., Gili, F., Gobbi, M., Poulenard, J., Taberlet, P., Zerboni, A., Thuiller, W., Ficetola, G.F. (2022). Metabarcoding data reveal vertical multitaxa variation in topsoil communities during the colonization of deglaciated forelands. Molecular Ecology, 00, 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16669