Progetti

January 22, 2025

MOMA

The project MOMA “Optical Methods for Monitoring Nitrogen in Horticultural Crops” involves the development of a strategy for sustainable management of nitrogen fertilization in horticultural crops through the creation of models for estimating qualitative-quantitative parameters based on measurements obtained by optical sensors. The goal of the project is the production of guidelines for precision nitrogen fertilization based on measurements with optical fluorescence sensors in a protected environment and on proximal and satellite data maps in the open field, considering both environmental

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Ecosystem Functional Properties
January 17, 2025

Ecosystems Biodiversity by Remote Sensing

Monitoring and studying natural ecosystem is critical  for biodiversity conservation, also in view of climate change impacts. Biodiversity can be addressed at different levels (genetic, species, ecosystems): the ecosystem biodiversity includes functional variability, habitats and communities, ecosystem services, and ecological processes. Remote sensing is a powerful tool to study ecosystems, producing spatially explicit data and being able to upscale local measures over broad ranges. Project activities include the use of innovative remote sensing data (from satellite, airborne and UAV) to characterize: (a)

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lichiene su albero
January 10, 2025

LIFE MODERn (NEC)

Current levels of pollutant emissions in the European Union pose risks to human health and ecosystems, as well as exposing member countries to the risk of infringement and the payment of heavy fines. To address this emergency, European Directive 2016/2284 (NEC Directive) was issued, which establishes commitments to reduce atmospheric emissions of pollutants associated with human activities, through a system of monitoring and reporting of measured data. In addition, member states are required to monitor the adverse impacts of air

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bosco con legno morto
January 9, 2025

LIFE SPAN

Traditional forest management, still all too often focused solely on maximising wood production, has led in many areas to a reduction in structural heterogeneity, in the presence of standing and ground dead wood and in the availability of microhabitats, with a consequent reduction in species diversity. This is even more true for saproxylic biodiversity, i.e. that represented by species linked at least at one stage of their life cycle to decaying or dead wood or other saproxylic organisms. This

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December 16, 2024

Study of wolf diet in anthropized areas in the province of Rome

The wolf, a species that once threatened extinction in Italy, has shown significant expansion in recent years. This development makes it imperative to adopt management plans based on solid scientific evidence. In the case of the wolf, being a predator, it is particularly important to study its diet, especially in contexts characterized by the presence of human activities. This project, funded by the Institute of Applied Ecology and carried out in collaboration with the “Charles Darwin” Department of Biology and Biotechnology

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December 12, 2024

Microevolution and adaptive divergence in relict bear populations

Photo by Greta Agostini All cells in a living organism contain essentially the same DNA. However, cells can use the information contained in the genetic code differently, depending on the functions they need to perform. This modulation of gene expression occurs through epigenetic modifications, which, at least in part, can be influenced by the environment. These modifications regulate the expression of genes without altering their DNA sequence. In contrast, the study of epigenomics, which has been widely established in biomedical fields and

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lucertola delle eolie
December 11, 2024

LIFE EOLIZARD

Podarcis raffonei, endemic to the Aeolian archipelago, is among the most threatened European reptiles. With only four known populations surviving on three tiny islets and a small promontory, this critically endangered lizard is threatened by its very limited range, severely fragmented distribution, and low genetic variability. The Aeolian wall lizard once inhabited other islands in the archipelago and has been confined to its current distribution by habitat loss and degradation and the anthropogenic introduction of Podarcis siculus, an extremely competitive

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muro con dietro bosco la goccia
December 11, 2024

Remediation strategies based on bio- and phyto-remediation for the La Goccia area

The project concerns a contaminated site in the Bovisa district of Milan. The municipality, in concert with MM SPA, is pursuing the goal of transforming a post-industrial contaminated area into a public green space through the application of NbS. The joint research will focus on the phyto- and bio-remediation potential of the plant-microorganism system in the La Goccia area, to evaluate the best strategies for enhancing the natural resilience of the area in question and to properly disseminate the results

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