Ethology, Ecology and Conservation of Mammals (Prof. Mortelliti)

Research Strand:

Terrestrial ecology (Environmental Biology)

Associate Professor in Ecology (BIO/07)

Edificio M, stanza B/45, via L. Giorgieri 10, 34127 Trieste
Tel: +39 040 558 8766
Email: ALESSIO.MORTELLITI@units.it

Alessio Mortelliti is an Associate Professori in Ecology at the DSV since 2022, when he returned to Italy after a long period of time spent as a professor at the University of Maine, in the US. The reseach topics followed in his laboratory are focused on the impact of global change on vertebrate species (mammals and birds), which are studied combining large-scale field-based projects with cutting-edge quantitative approaches.

Info

Research

The overarching goals of my research are to:

1) Contribute towards understanding the mechanisms by which major drivers of global change (land-use change and climate change) affect wildlife

I am particularly interested in understanding how the collective responses of different individuals to global change translate into population-level and community-level responses. Specifically, I focus on small mammal personality and investigate the ecosystem-level consequences of the personality composition of wildlife populations. The research questions I am currently working on are: a) By modifying and transforming natural habitats are we favoring some personality types over others? b) And what are the population-level and community-level consequences of this?

2) Develop optimal monitoring protocols to track the responses of wildlife to global change

While my first research line is more focused on mechanisms, this second research line is more applied and often results in ready-to use- protocols that can (and have) been used by wildlife agencies to monitor wildlife over time. Examples of projects within this research line include the development of protocols to monitor mammals in the Lazio region (central Italy), state-wide protocols to monitor mammals through camera-traps in Maine (USA), state-wide protocols to monitor the Lynx (Lynx canadensis) through track surveys in Maine (USA), protocols to monitor the endangered Togean babirousa in Sulawesi (Indonesia).

To pursue these goals I combine large-scale field-based projects (natural experiments or manipulative experiments), with cutting-edge quantitative approaches. I have conducted field projects in Europe (Italy, Austria), Africa (Kenya, Libya, Mauritania, Tunisia), south-east Asia (Indonesia), Australia and the US.

Lab website:

https://alessiomortelliti.weebly.com/

Below are two links to videos featuring current research projects in my group:

Small mammals big personalities

Carnivores of Maine (USA)

People

Current students

Gabriela Franzoi Dri (PhD)

Margaret (Maisie) Merz (PhD)

Ivy Yen (PhD)

Agus Jati (PhD)

Matt Mensinger (PhD)

Francesca Colombini (Laurea Magistrale)

Brigit Humphreys (MS)

Lab alumni

Allison Brehm

Bryn Evans

Sara Boone

Dakota Perry

Bayu Broto

Ryo Ogawa

Kara Aiken

Michael Bujaskas

Santulli Giulia

Cervone Cristina

Pollini Barbara

Negretto Marco

Iannarilli Fabiola

Sozio Giulia

Boccacci Francesca

Ranchelli Elisa

Fagiani Stefano

Santarelli Luca

Fipaldini Daniele

Melcore Ilaria

Scacco Martina

Mastrofini Lorenzo

Boschetti Matilde

Prete Simone

Luciani Matteo

Roviani Davide

Imperi Francesco

Marras Nadia

Guidarelli Giulia

Honors students

Skye Cahoon

Gabrielle Link

Michael Buyaskas

Kara Aiken

International visiting students

Ilona Grentzmann (Francia)

Sara Tironi (Italia)

More info available here:

https://alessiomortelliti.weebly.com/people.html

Publications

Full list of the publications of the Principal Investigator

Google Scholar
Scopus

Selected publications

Brehm, A., & Mortelliti, A. (2022). Small mammal personalities generate context-dependence in the seed dispersal mutualism. PNAS, 119 (15), e2113870119. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2113870119
Mortelliti, A., Brehm, A., & Evans, B. E. (2022). Umbrella effect of monitoring protocols for mammals in the Northeast US. Scientific Reports, 12 (1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-05791-x
Hunter, M., Boone, S., Brehm,A. M., & Mortelliti, A. (2021). Modulation of ecosystem services by animal personalities. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 20 (1), 58–63. https://doi.org/10.1002/fee.2418
Mortelliti, A., & Brehm, A. M. (2021). Environmental heterogeneity and population density affect the functional diversity of personality traits in small mammal populations. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 287: 20201713. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2020.1713
Brehm, A. M., & Mortelliti, A. (2021). Land-use change alters associations between personality and microhabitat selection. Ecological Applications 31: e02443. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2443
Brehm, A. M., Mortelliti, A.*, Maynar, G. A., & Zydlewski, J. (2019). Land-use change and the ecological consequences of personality in small mammals. Ecology Letters, 22: 1387–1395. * joint first authorship. https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13324
Mortelliti, A., Crane, M., Okada, S., & Lindenmayer, D. B. (2015). Marsupial response to matrix conversion: results of a large-scale long-term 'natural experiment' in Australia. Biological Conservation 191: 60–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.06.015
Mortelliti, A., & Lindenmayer, D.B. (2015). Effects of landscape transformation on bird colonization and extinction patterns in a large-scale, long-term natural experiment. Conservation Biology 29: 1314–1326. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12523
Mortelliti, A., Westgate, M., & Lindenmayer, D. B. (2014). Experimental evaluation shows limited influence of pine plantations on the connectivity of highly fragmented bird populations. Journal of Applied Ecology 51: 1179–1187. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.12313
Mortelliti, A., Amori, G., Capizzi, D., Cervone, C., Fagiani, S., Pollini, B., & Boitani, L. (2011). Independent effects of habitat loss, habitat fragmentation and structural connectivity on the distribution of two arboreal rodents. Journal of Applied Ecology 48: 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2010.01918.x

Last update: 09-19-2025 - 23:30

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