RESEARCH

EXPERIMENTAL EVOLUTION IN PLANTS

The use of experiments has been the core of my research, as they offer precise insights into how global change may affect plant populations. I am investigating rapid adaptation of plant populations to changes in climate and land use using different experimental approaches, such as common gardens, reciprocal transplantations, resurrection experiments, pollination experiments, and evolution experiments.

To understand evolutionary dynamics in plant populations, I combine concepts and methods from classical plant ecology, evolutionary biology, and quantitative genetics, testing evolutionary hypotheses regarding several environmental factors such as precipitation predictability, environmental variability and drought, or soil micro-environmental variables.

CONSERVATION OF CLIFF ECOSYSTEMS

Cliff ecosystems are hotspots of unique biodiversity that have been largely neglected in ecological research and global conservation agendas. Despite historically human-undisturbed, today many cliffs are facing growing threats from the increasing popularity of recreational activities such as climbing, and climate change.

Through the WorldClimb project, I have conducted a worldwide study to comprehend the threats to cliff flora from climbing activities using a precise methodology tailored for cliff studies. Unravelling the ecological and evolutionary dynamics occurring in cliff ecosystem and investigating the best approaches for the conservation of cliff biodiversity is a central goal of my research.