A central topic of my research is understanding the interactions between macro- and microorganisms, and disentangle the biodiversity, functionality and evolution of symbiosis –mutualism, parasitism and commensalism– in the sea. We study the metabolic and allelopathic role of microbiomes and their contribution to adaptability towards stress and environmental changes, including climate warming and ocean acidification under natural conditions. A major intention in our studies is to to estimate the role of associated symbionts in holobionts’ health, immunity and ecological competence.
We are looking for a project focused on biodiversity of marine ecosystems, likely benthic, from the Tropical to the Polar latitudes, in which biodiversity research goes beyond species richness expanding to genetic and metabolic diversity, and to the interconnection of all these compartments to understand the functionality of ecosystems. This holistic view of symbiotic linkages, will be then used to formulate hypothesis and propose tools to preserve our seas.
We will be participating in the Marine Fungi: Diversity and Applications, in Napoli, February 10-11, 2025, and also to the 12th World Sponge Conference in Porto or Bali (to be confirmed) 2025.