A5079802196- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Plant and animal studies
- Species Distribution and Climate Change
- Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- melanin and skin pigmentation
- Bacterial Genetics and Biotechnology
- Heavy Metal Exposure and Toxicity
- Mercury impact and mitigation studies
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Heavy metals in environment
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Gut microbiota and health
- Bacteriophages and microbial interactions
- Demographic Trends and Gender Preferences
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Reproductive biology and impacts on aquatic species
- Wildlife-Road Interactions and Conservation
- Genomics and Chromatin Dynamics
University of Milan
2016-2025
Conseil de L'Europe
2019-2024
Pennsylvania State University
2006-2007
The active participation of scientific trusts, including CISO (Centro Italiano Studi Ornitologici), in applied conservation actions plays a crucial role addressing the challenges faced by natural and semi-natural landscapes, which are increasingly impacted improper land-use land-cover. This is particularly true for those landscapes where Large Infrastructures Big Events (LIBEs) planned. In these circumstances, researchers, professionals, environmentalists typically express their concerns on...
One of the major signalling pathways responsible for intercompartmental communication between cell envelope and cytoplasm in Escherichia coli is mediated by alternative sigma factor, sigmaE. sigmaE has been studied primarily its role response to misfolding outer membrane porins. This essentially reactionary; cells are stressed, porin folding disrupted, activated. can also be activated following starvation a variety nutrients alarmone ppGpp. proactive, as absence any obvious damage sensed...
ABSTRACT The sigma subunit of procaryotic RNA polymerases is responsible for specific promoter recognition and transcription initiation. In addition to the major factor, σ 70 , in Escherichia coli which directs most cell, bacteria possess multiple, alternative factors that direct polymerase distinct sets promoters response environmental signals. By activating an gene expression can be rapidly reprogrammed meet needs cell as environment changes. Sigma are subject multiple levels regulation...
Pigmentation of body surface in animals can have multiple determinants and accomplish diverse functions. Eumelanin pheomelanin are the main animal pigments, being responsible yellow, brownish-red black hues, partly common biosynthetic pathways. Many populations vertebrates show individual variation melanism, putatively with large heritable component. Genes for eu- or pheomelanogenesis pleiotropic but contrasting effects on life-history traits, explaining patterns covariation observed between...
Abstract Circannual rhythms often rely on endogenous seasonal photoperiodic timers involving ‘clock’ genes and Clock gene polymorphism has been associated to variation in phenology some bird species. In the long-distance migratory barn swallow Hirundo rustica , individuals bearing rare allele with largest number of C-terminal polyglutamine repeats found this species (Q 8 ) show a delayed reproduction moult later. We explored association between migration scheduling, as gauged by light-level...
Trade-offs select for optimal allocation of resources among competing functions. Parents are selected to maximize production viable offspring by balancing between progeny number and “quality.” Telomeres nucleoproteins, at the ends eukaryotic chromosomes, that shorten when cells divide. Because shortening below a certain threshold depresses organismal functioning rate depends on environmental conditions, telomeres good candidates as mediators trade-offs. We altered brood size barn swallow...
Abstract The barn swallow (Hirundo rustica) poses a number of fascinating scientific questions, including the taxonomic status postulated subspecies. Here, we obtained and assessed sequence variation 411 complete mitogenomes, mainly from European H. r. rustica, but other subspecies as well. In almost every case, observed subspecies-specific haplogroups, which employed together with estimated radiation times to postulate model for geographical temporal worldwide spread species. female...
Editorial
Microbiomes can be considered as 'second genomes' for the host, and deeply affect its physiology, behaviour fitness. We investigated cloacal microbiomes (CMs) of adult nestling barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), a small insectivorous migratory passerine bird, in order to assess whether CM structure was related major ecological traits individuals. Illumina sequencing V5–V6 hypervariable regions bacterial 16S rRNA gene showed that swallow CMs were dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes,...
Microplastic pollution is a pervasive global issue affecting various ecosystems. Despite the escalating production and well-documented contamination in both aquatic terrestrial environments, research focused on airborne microplastics their interaction with birds remains limited. In this study, we collected fecal sacs from Common swifts (Apus apus) to investigate diet evaluate potential ingestion of by adults nestlings. The was mainly composed Hymenoptera Coleoptera did not differ among sexes...
How species are responding to climate change is a key topic in evolutionary ecology. Increasing temperatures expected affect phenotypic traits involved thermoregulation, thus decreasing body size and/or increasing appendages associated with heat exchange, as predicted by Bergmann's and Allen's rules. Results from long-term studies of variation morphology over time have generally provided results supporting these predictions. However, two outstanding questions frequently raised relating...
Avian communication has been traditionally believed to be mainly mediated by visual and auditory channels. However, an increasing number of studies are disclosing the role olfaction in interaction birds with their social environment other species, as well behaviors such nest recognition, food location navigation. Olfaction also suggested play a parent-offspring not only post- but pre-hatching period. Volatile compounds produced during embryogenesis passively released through eggshell pores...
Physiological trade-offs mediated by limiting energy, resources or time constrain the simultaneous expression of major functions and can lead to evolution temporal separation between demanding activities. In birds, plumage renewal is a activity, which accomplishes fundamental functions, such as allowing thermal insulation, aerodynamics socio-sexual signaling. Feather very expensive disabling process, molt often partitioned from breeding migration. However, feather have been only sparsely...
Parents should differentially invest in sons or daughters depending on the sex-specific fitness returns from male and female offspring. In species with sexually selected heritable characters, highly ornamented fathers overproduce sons, which will be more attractive than of less fathers. Because genetic correlations between sexes, females that express traits are under selection males also sons. However, sex allocation strategies may consist reaction norms leading to spatiotemporal variation...
Individuals differ in realized fitness but the genetic/phenotypic traits that underpin such variation are often unknown. Telomere dynamics may be a major source of because physiological telomere shortening depends on environmental and genetic factors impair individual performance. Here, we showed that, population socially monogamous, biparental passerine bird, barn swallow (Hirundo rustica), breeding northern Italy, length (TL) both adult males females positively correlated with seasonal...
Natural and sexual selection arise when individual fitness varies according to focal traits. Extra-pair paternities (EPPs) can affect the intensity of by influencing variance in among individuals. Studies require that is estimated using proxies lifetime reproductive success (LRS). However, estimating LRS difficult large, open populations where EPPs cause reallocation biological paternity. Here, we used extensive field sampling estimate a population barn swallows (Hirundo rustica) on lifespan...
Despite parents are equally related to all of their progeny, they may differentially invest in offspring that provide the highest fitness return. Sons and daughters can differ reproductive value, especially species where is predicted by expression sexually selected traits. In many birds, plumage coloration functions as a honest signal individual quality, thus allowing either sex accordingly. Here, we tested whether allocate different amounts food depending on color male female offspring. As...
The determinants and function of pigmentation feathers other tissues have been the focus a large number studies, particularly with respect to socio‐sexual communication. However, many birds exhibit depigmented white spots or bars on their whose is poorly understood. Here we assess whether feather reflect phenotypic condition at time moult by investigating covariation between spot size shape condition‐dependent growth rate, as gauged width tail Barn Swallows. We found that higher rates had...
The use of sewage sludge as a soil improver has been promoted in agroecosystems. However, sludges can contain toxic trace elements because suboptimal wastewater treatment. Nonetheless, field studies investigating the negative effects these practices on pollinators are lacking. We collected honeybees from an area where is widespread, and one it precluded. Trace soils bees were quantified. Cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, nickel investigated they least correlated to each other known be toxic....