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)
