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Filippo Ferrario
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Post-doctoral Fellow, ULaval (2013–2017)
PhD in Biodiversity and Evolution, UNIBO (2013) MSc in Biology, UNIMIB (2007) BSc in Biological Sciences, UNIMIB (2004) |
Boursier post-doctoral, ULaval (2013–2017)
Doctorat en biodiversité et évolution, UNIBO (2013) Maîtrise en biologie, UNIMIB (2007) Baccalauréat en sciences biologiques, UNIMIB (2004) |
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E-mail: [email protected]
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Courrier électronique : [email protected]
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Urban development is a primary factor of habitat degradation in coastal areas causing loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services including natural resources, primary productivity, recreational and cultural values. My career interests relate to studying ecological processes in coastal areas and assessing the values of coastal and marine ecosystem services to better conserve biodiversity by informing policy- and decision-makers.
The fascinating question I am currently tackling is how the marine landscape (the “seascape”) modulates the ecological interaction between species. I am thus leading research on seaweed-herbivore dynamic in heterogeneous bottoms (i.e. where sandy and rocky patches coexist) to develop spatially-explicit models of the probability of success of kelp enhancement projects to offset habitat losses by means of artificial structures. Habitat loss offsets must ultimately be both sustainable and have a low risk of failure. Indeed, improper implementation can even increase threats to biodiversity and ecosystem services without providing any real ecological benefit. In particular, ignoring the effect of ecological interactions (e.g. grazing) adds a high level of uncertainty to the success of habitat loss offsets. Quantifying the effect of ecological interaction in a seascape context will help decision-makers identify sites where the probability of offsetting success is high and sustainable. So far I addressed issues of conservation of marine species and coastal ecosystems across disparate environments and geographies – spanning from the tropics to temperate and boreal coastal areas – and using both manipulative field experiments and data synthesis. |
Selected publications
Ferrario F, Iveša L, Jaklin A, Perkol-Finkel S, Airoldi L. 2015. The overlooked role of biotic factors in controlling the ecological performance of artificial marine habitats. Journal of Applied Ecology 53: 16-24. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12533
Ferrario F, Beck MW, Storlazzi CD, Micheli F, Shepard CC, Airoldi L. 2014 The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation. Nature communications 5: 3794. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4794
Firth LB, Thompson RC, Bohn K, Abbiati M, Airoldi L, Bouma TJ, Bozzeda F, Ceccherelli VU, Colangelo MA, Evans E, Ferrario F, Hanley M, Hinz H, Hoggart SPG, Jackson J, Moore P, Morgan EH, Perkol-Finkel S, Strain EM, van Belzen J, Hawkins SJ. 2014. Between a rock and a hard place: Environmental and engineering considerations when designing flood defence structures. Coastal Engineering 87: 122-135. DOI: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2013.10.015
Perkol-Finkel S, Ferrario F, Nicotera V, Airoldi L. 2012. Conservation challenges in urban seascapes: promoting the growth of threatened species on coastal infrastructures. Journal of Applied Ecology 49: 1457-1466. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02204.x
Ferrario F, Calcinai B, Erpenbeck D, Galli P, Worheide G. (2010) Two Pione species (Hadromerida, Clionaidae) from the Red Sea: a taxonomical challenge. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 10: 275–285. DOI: 10.1007/s13127-010-0027-x
Ferrario F, Beck MW, Storlazzi CD, Micheli F, Shepard CC, Airoldi L. 2014 The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation. Nature communications 5: 3794. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms4794
Firth LB, Thompson RC, Bohn K, Abbiati M, Airoldi L, Bouma TJ, Bozzeda F, Ceccherelli VU, Colangelo MA, Evans E, Ferrario F, Hanley M, Hinz H, Hoggart SPG, Jackson J, Moore P, Morgan EH, Perkol-Finkel S, Strain EM, van Belzen J, Hawkins SJ. 2014. Between a rock and a hard place: Environmental and engineering considerations when designing flood defence structures. Coastal Engineering 87: 122-135. DOI: 10.1016/j.coastaleng.2013.10.015
Perkol-Finkel S, Ferrario F, Nicotera V, Airoldi L. 2012. Conservation challenges in urban seascapes: promoting the growth of threatened species on coastal infrastructures. Journal of Applied Ecology 49: 1457-1466. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02204.x
Ferrario F, Calcinai B, Erpenbeck D, Galli P, Worheide G. (2010) Two Pione species (Hadromerida, Clionaidae) from the Red Sea: a taxonomical challenge. Organisms Diversity & Evolution 10: 275–285. DOI: 10.1007/s13127-010-0027-x
