Several studies of species–elevation gradients have been implemented to develop a more comprehensive understanding, and more effective strategies for conserving biological diversity in the context of global change. However, it is not clear how land-cover dynamics and climate might interact in shaping diversity patterns along elavation gradients. I am investigating this issue using alien and native plant species in the Alps as model system.

Peer-reviewed papers

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2010 and in press

• Nascimbene, J.*, Marini, L.* (accepted) Oak forest exploitation and black locust invasion caused severe shifts in epiphytic lichen communities. Science of the Total Environment  [*Equally contributed]
• Marini, L., Bona, E., Kunin, W.E., Gaston, K.J. (in press) Exploring anthropogenic and natural processes shaping fern species richness along elevational gradients. Journal of Biogeography (pdf)
• Marini, L., Bommarco, R., Fontana, P., Battisti, A. (in press) Disentangling area and habitat diversity effects on orthopteran species with contrasting mobility. Biological Conservation (pdf)
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (in press) Epiphytic lichen diversity in old-growth and managed Picea abies stands in Alpine spruce forests. Forest Ecology and Management
• Barbosa, A.M., Fontaneto, D., Marini, L., Pautasso, M. (in press) Is human population a large-scale indicator of the species richness of ground beetles? Animal Conservation
• Smart, S.M., Scott, W.A., Whittaker, J., Hill, M.O., Roy, D.B., Critchley, C.N., Marini, L., Evans, C., Emmett, B.A., Rowe, E.C., Crowe, A., Le Duc, M., Marrs, R.H. (in press) Empirical realized niche models for British higher and lower plants – Development and preliminary testing. Journal of Vegetation Science
• Pecher, C., Fritz, S., Marini, L., Fontaneto, D., Pautasso, M. (2010) Scale-dependence of the correlation between human population and the species richness of stream macro-invertebrates. Basic and Applied Ecology 11, 272-280
• Cantarello, E., Steck, C.E., Fontana, P., Fontaneto, D., Marini, L., Pautasso, M. (2010) A multi-scale study of Orthoptera species richness and human population size controlling for sampling effort. Naturwissenschaften 97, 265–271

2009

• Marini, L., Gaston, K.J., Prosser, F., Hulme, P.E. (2009) Contrasting response of native and alien plant species richness to environmental energy and human impact along Alpine elevation gradients. Global Ecology and Biogeography 18, 652–661 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Fontana, P., Battisti, A., Gaston, K.J. (2009) Agricultural management, vegetation traits and landscape drive orthopteran and butterfly diversity in a grassland–forest mosaic: a multi-scale approach. Insect Conservation and Diversity 2, 213-220 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Fontana, P., Battisti, A., Gaston, K.J. (2009) Response of orthopteran diversity to abandonment of semi-natural meadows. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 132, 232-236 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Fontana, P., Klimek, S., Battisti, A., Gaston, K.J. (2009) Impact of farm size and topography on plant and insect diversity of managed grasslands in the Alps. Biological Conservation 142, 394-403 (pdf)
• Braschler, B.*, Marini, L.*, Thommen, G.H., Baur, B. (2009) Effects of small-scale grassland fragmentation and frequent mowing on population density and species diversity of orthopterans – a long-term study. Ecological Entomology 34, 321-329 (pdf) [*Equally contributed]
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Motta, R., Nimis, P.L. (2009) Influence of tree age, tree size and crown structure on lichen communities in mature Alpine spruce forests. Biodiversity and Conservation 18, 1509-1522
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (2009) Influence of tree species on epiphytic lichens in mixed Abies alba-Fagus sylvatica forests in the Alps. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 39, 785-791
• Nascimbene, J., Thüs, H., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (2009) Early colonization of stone by freshwater lichens of restored habitats: a case study in northern Italy. Science of the Total Environment 407, 5001-5006

2008

• Marini, L., Prosser, F., Klimek, S., Marrs, R.H. (2008) Water–energy, land-cover, and heterogeneity drivers of the distribution of plant species richness in a mountain region of the European Alps. Journal of Biogeography 35, 1826-1839 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Scotton, M., Klimek, S., Pecile, A. (2008) Patterns of plant species richness in Alpine hay meadows: Local vs. landscape controls. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 365-372 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Fontana, P., Scotton, M., Klimek, S. (2008) Vascular plant and Orthoptera diversity in relation to grassland management and landscape composition in the European Alps. Journal of Applied Ecology 45, 361-370 (pdf)
• Marini, L., Nascimbene, J., Scotton, M., Klimek, S. (2008) Hydrochemistry, water table depth, and related distribution patterns of vascular plants in a mixed mire. Plant Biosystems 142, 79-86 (pdf)
• Klimek, S., Marini, L., Hofmann, M., Isselstein, J. (2008) Additive partitioning of plant diversity with respect to management regime, fertilisation, and abiotic factors. Basic and Applied Ecology 9, 626-634
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Carrer, M., Motta, R., Nimis, P.L. (2008) Influences of tree age and crown structure on the macrolichen Letharia vulpina: a case study in the Italian Alps. Écoscience 15, 423-428
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Cester, D., Caniglia, G., Nimis, P.L. (2008) Lichen diversity on stumps in relation to wood decay in subalpine forests. Biodiversity and Conservation 17, 2661-2670
  
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Motta, R., Nimis, P.L. (2008) Lichen diversity of coarse woody habitats in a Pinus-Larix stand in the Italian Alps. Lichenologist 40, 153-163
  
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (2008) Epiphytic lichens in a riparian Natural Reserve of Northern Italy: species richness, composition, and conservation. Plant Biosystems 142, 94-98

2007

• Marini, L., Scotton, M., Klimek, S., Isselstein, J., Pecile, A. (2007) Effects of local factors on plant species richness and composition of Alpine meadows. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 119, 281-288 (pdf)
  
• Nascimbene, J., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (2007) Influence of forest management on epiphytic lichens in a temperate beech forest of the northern Italy. Forest Ecology and Management 247, 43-47
  
• Nascimbene, J., Nimis, P.L., Marini, L. (2007) Testing indicators of epiphytic lichen diversity: a case study in N Italy. Biodiversity and Conservation 16, 3377-3383
  
• Nascimbene, J., Thüs, H., Marini, L., Nimis, P.L. (2007) Freshwater lichens in springs of the eastern Italian Alps: floristics, ecology and potential for bioindication. Annales de Limnologie - International Journal of Limnology
  43, 285-292

2006

• Nascimbene, J., Isocrono, D., Marini, L., Caniglia, G., Piervittori, R. (2006) Epiphytic lichen vegetation on Larix in the Italian Alps. Plant Biosystems 140, 132-137

PRATIQUE (Enhancements of Pest Risk Analysis Techniques) (2009-2011)

I am now involved in PRATIQUE (EU-funded project) working mainly on plant invasion in mountain areas and in mapping dispersal dynamics of the pine processionary and spruce bark beetle in  Alpine regions using long-term monitoring data over the last 20 years. Our group (coordinated by Andrea Battisti) will lead the WP5 on the developing of a decision support system for the eradication and containment of pest outbreaks. The objectives of WP5 are: 1) To carry out a meta-analysis of the successes and failures of pest eradication and containment programmes worldwide; 2) To provide guidance for analysing the cost-effectiveness of pest eradication and containment measures; 3) To develop a decision support scheme to support actions to be taken following pest outbreaks; 4) To provide recommendations for the application of pest surveillance techniques in detecting pest incursions and managing outbreaks.

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ACE-SAP (Alpine Ecosystems in a Changing Environment: Biodiversity Sensitivity and Adaptive Potential)  (2009-2011)

ACE-SAP is a collaborative project funded by the Autonomous Province of Trento involving three regional institutions (Edmund Mach Foundation, Natural History Museum of Trento, Civic Museum of Rovereto) and one external partner (University of Davis, California). It is intended to address four major aspects of biodiversity research by using the territory of an alpine region, Trentino, as an ‘outdoor laboratory’: 1) The study and conservation of endangered/endemic taxa representing unique and not replaceable components of the biological diversity of the region; 2) The direct consequences to the human population inhabiting this region that biodiversity changes or loss may involve; 3) The study of selected ecological and genetic mechanisms implemented by living organisms to adapt to environmental drivers of stress; 4) The measurement, with state of the art tools, of the current levels of biodiversity to monitor, preserve, manage and exploit it in a sustainable way.

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BACCARA (Biodiversity and Climate Change: A Risk Analysis) (2009-2012)

I will be partially involved also in BACCARA, an EU-funded project on the effects of biodiversty loss and climate change on ecosystem functioning in forest ecosystems. The project will test for the first time the productivity-diversity hypothesis in forests. Our group (coordinated by Andrea Battisti) will lead the WP2 on the tree-associated species response to climate change. The objective of WP2 is to predict the impact of climate change on tree-associated species diversity and performance. WP2 will focus on species with a role in the functioning of forest in terms of net biomass production: antagonistic species (herbivorous animals and pathogens), their natural enemies (predators and parasitoids), and mutualistic species (mycorrhiza).

Lorenzo Marini (born in 1979)

Education
-Degree in Forest and Environmental Sciences (2003)
-Doctorate in Environmental Agronomy (2007)
Academic position
-2005/2007. PhD student at the University of Padova
-2007/2009. Independent research fellow at the University of Padova (in collaboration with the University of Sheffield)
-2009/2011. Post-doc fellow at the University of Padova
Extra-mural funding
3,000€ - Fondazione Aldo Gini (2005-2006)
50,000€ - Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto (2007-2009)
5,000€ - Museo Civico di Rovereto (ACE-SAP) (2010-2011)
Projects led as main investigator
- ‘Management tools for biodiversity conservation in Alpine agro-ecosystems’.
Two-years project funded by ‘Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Trento e Rovereto’ through a competitive research scholarship for young researchers
Work abroad
-2005/2006: Six months at the University of Goettingen
-2007: Four months at the Applied Vegetation Dynamics Laboratory, University of Liverpool (UK)
-2008: Four months at the BIOME research group, University of Sheffield (UK)
-2009: Three months at the University of Leeds (UK)
Main international collaborations
-Koos Biesmeijer & Bill Kunin – University of Leeds (UK)
-Riccardo Bommarco & Erik Öckinger – SLU (SE)
-Kevin Gaston – University of Sheffield (UK)
-Philip Hulme – Lincoln University (NZ)
-Sebastian Klimek – von Thünen-Institut (D)  
Editorial activity in ISI peer-reviewed journals
Associate Editor: Diversity
Referee: Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment; Biological Conservation; Biological Invasions; Community Ecology; Diversity; Ecological Entomology; Ecology Letters; Folia Geobotanica; Insect Conservation & Diversity; Journal of Applied Ecology; Journal of Insect Conservation; Journal of Vegetation Science; Landscape Ecology; Plant & Soil; Science of The Total Environment