The activities of this research group are concerned with behaviour, ecology and management of animal populations. The main goal is to identify adaptative mechanisms of behavioural and ecological responses to environmental variations, both at the intraspecific and interspecific levels, also to detect their potential consequences for community- and ecosystem-level processes, using meso-large mammals (ungulates, carnivores) as preferred study species. Many activities have implications to suggest evidence-based measures for the management and conservation of animal populations and for the mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts.
Research lines
- Adaptive mechanisms of interspecific interactions and coexistence, e.g., competition, facilitation, predator-prey relationships.
- Social, foraging and spatiotemporal behaviour.
- Environmental drivers of individual phenotypic quality and population dynamics.
- Impacts of ungulates on ecosystems and human activities, as well as mitigation of human-wildlife conflicts.
- Counting methods of wild ungulates.
- Conservation of endangered populations of ungulates.
Francesco Ferretti, Associate Professor
Niccolò Fattorini, Assistant Professor
Lucia Burrini, Research Technician
Lorenzo Lazzeri, Post-doc
Orlando Tomassini, Post-doc
Irene Belardi, PhD student
Martina Calosi, PhD student
Giovanni Fini, PhD student
Noemi Pallari, PhD student
Lucrezia Lorenzetti, PhD student
Francesca Cozzi, research assistant
Chiara Gabbrielli, research assistant
Leonardo Gallotta, research assistant
Valerio Orazi, research assistant
Competitive research projects (National):
2022-2025 PNRR - National Biodiversity Future Center – Spoke 3 (Participant).
2023-2025 PRIN-PNRR 2022 The recent expansion of wild boar in Italy: new insights into ecology, genetics, parasites and management implications. Codice Progetto Prot. P20228RERY_001 (National coordinator).
2022-2024 FSC/GiovaniSì – Regione Toscana. Ecosistemi, Conservazione e Cultura – ECO-CULT.
Competitive research projects (International):
2022-2023 Tuscany Environment Foundation – Research Grants. Mammals of protected areas of Tuscany.
2019-2020 Innovative Project Fundings – German Society for Mammalian Biology. Recolonising wolves and opportunistic foxes: landscape of fear or fast food restaurant?
Other projects:
2019-ongoing Maremma Regional Park. Monitoring of ungulates, wolf and their interactions.
2019-ongoing Stelvio National Park. Monitoring of biodiversity and ecosystem complexity – interspecific interactions within a mammalian community in relation to the return of the wolf.
2019-ongoing Regione Toscana. Monitoring of wild boar and its impacts on habitats and agriculture.
2022-ongoing Serre Regional Park and WWF Italy. Conservation of the Italian red deer: constitution of a population in the Serre Regional Park.