Biodiversity informatics (Prof. Martellos)

Research Strand:

Biodiversity informatics and conservation (Environmental Biology)

Stefano Martellos

Associate professor in Systematic botany (BIO/02)

Tel: +39 040 558 3889
Email: martelst@units.it

Biosketch

Stefano Martellos is Associate Professor in Systematic Botany (SSD BIO/02) at the University of Trieste since 2019.

He has a degree in Biology, and a PhD in Biomonitoring of Environmental Alteration.

His research interest focuses on Biodiversity Informatics, and on the taxonomy and ecology of lichenised fungi. He also collaborates with other research centers on the application of DNA barcode for the identification of vascular plants (PLoS ONE, 2012; Food Research International, 2013).

He is one of the few researchers in Italy dealing with biodiversity informatics. He has developed the software FRIDA (FRiendly IdentificAtion; Taxon 2010), whose algorithm was patented by the University of Trieste. FRIDA has been used by several researchers for the development and publication of more than 600 digital identification keys to several groups of organisms. He has also cooperated in the development of the Italian National Biodiversity Network (Plant Biosystem, 2011), especially as far as the aggregation of primary biodiversity data is concerned.

In the field of lichenology, he is co-author of the Second Checklist of Italian Lichens (2003), and of the checklist of the Lichen of the Alps (Mycokeys, 2018). He collaborates to the management of ITALIC, the information system on Italian lichens. He is also investigating the use of species distribution models for backing taxa delimitation (Flora, 2014), and the effects of climate change on vascular flora (Community Ecology, 2018), and is involved in the floristic investigation of the Italian lichen flora. Furthermore, he is exploring the field of Citizen Science (Plant Biosystems, 2019).

Stefano Martellos has publilshed several papers in international scientific journals, is co-author of several books, and author of one patent.

He is member of the International Association of Lichenology, the Italian Society of Botany, the Italian Society of Ecology, and the Italian Lichenological Society. He is also a former member of the Directive Board of the Italian Lichenological Society (2011-2017), and a member of the Directive Board of the Italian Natural History Museums Association (ANMS) since 2016.

He is the coordinator of the Bachelor Degree in Biological Sciences and Techniques of the Dept. of Life Sciences of the University of Trieste.

Info

Research

The research activities coordinated by Stefano Martellos focus on:

1) organization and aggregation of biodiversity data, and their use for scientific, and educational purposes. The team is developing large datasets on primary biodiversity and taxonomic information, as well as image archives on vascular plants, mosses and liverworths, lichenized and non-lichenized fungi, and other organisms. By combining information technology and biological skills, the team is tackling the development of online resources and tools, such as digital identification keys, checklists, information systems, etc.
The activities within this program have been part of national and European research projects, such as the CSMON-LIFE project (2014-2017), funded under the European LIFE+ programme (LIFE13 ENV / IT / 842).

2) modeling species distribution, also in relation to global changes. In this context, different groups of organisms, and their relationship with the environment are analyzed, in order to provide possible decision support for the development of adaptation and mitigation policies.

3) Citizen Science, in collaboration with the national network for Citizen Science, and the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA). The research in this field explores both methodological aspects, in particular to optimize the verification and validation of the observations sent by citizens, and aspects of the use of data for scientific purposes, which is dependent on solid verification and validation approaches. In this field there is an active collaboration with the National Institute for Environmental Research (ISPRA) and with the Information and Communication Regional Activity Center (INFO/RAC) of the United Nations Action Program for the Mediterranean (UNEP/MAP).

People

Pier Luigi Nimis

Full Professor in Systematic botany (BIO/02)

Tel. +39-040-5588820
Email: nimis@units.it
Address: via L. Giorgieri, 10 - 34127 Trieste
Building: M, 1^nd floor. Room B/06

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Born in Udine 9.9.1953. Degree in Natural Sciences at the Univ. of Trieste (1977). Specializations in numerical ecology at the Univ. of Western Ontario (Prof. L. Orloci), and in lichenology at the Univ. of Graz (Prof. J. Poelt). Assistant of Botany at the Faculty of Sciences of the Trieste Univ. (1981-1986), ordinary Professor of Botany since 1986. Dean of the School of Biology (1991 to 1997), Director of the Department of Biology (1997 to 2003).

Scientific activity: centered on four main fields: 1) Ecology - Bioindication and radioecology. 2) Quantitative phytogeography - computerized analysis of plant distribution data in different parts of the N Hemisphere. 3) Lichenology - from floristics and taxonomy to vegetational and applied studies. 4) Biodiversity Informatics, with emphasis on automatic generation of identification tools.

Articles published by 2016: 290. Intense international activity. National coordinator of National Research Projects funded by MURST (since 1991).
Responsible for Lichenology within the Italian Antarctic Survey. President of the Italian Lichen Society (1987-1993).
Secretary of the Lichen Commission of OPTIMA (since 1993).
Member of the Executive Council of the Intern. Association for Lichenology (IAL) (since 1992) and of the Intern. Mycological Association (since 1998).
Editor-in-chief of the Intern. Lichenological Newsletter (1997-2000).
President of the International Association of Lichenology (2000-2004).
Member of the Intern. Committee for Botanical Nomenclature (since 1999).
Co-ordinator of the European Project KeyToNature (since sept. 2007).
O.P.T.I.M.A. medal for the best study on the Mediterranean flora published in 1993, the monograph on the Lichens of Italy (Sevilla 1995).
International Prize Ferrari-Soave for Biology from the Academy of Sciences of Turin (Turin, 2009).
A charius medal by the International Association of Lichenology recognizing lifetime achievement in the study of lichenised fungi (Bangkok 2014).

One genus (Nimisia Kärnef.& Thell) and two species (Topelia nimisiana Tretiach & Vezda, Rinodina nimisii Giralt & Mayrh.) of lichens, and a genus af lichenicolous fungi (Nimisiostella Barreno & Calatayud) were dedicated to Prof. Nimis.

Publications

Full list of the publications of the Principal Investigator

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Highly cited DSV papers

2018
2016
2013
2011

Selected papers

Nimis PL, Hafellner J, Roux C, Clerc P, Mayrhofer H, Martellos S, Bilovitz PO, 2018 - The lichens of the Alps – an annotated checklist. MycoKeys 31: 1-634. https://doi.org/10.3897/mycokeys.31.23568
Nimis PL, Pittao E, Altobelli A, De Pascalis F, Laganis J, Martellos S, 2018 - Mapping invasive plants with citizen science. A case study from Trieste (NE Italy). Plant Biosystems, 153(5): 700-9.
Ongaro S, Martellos S, Bacaro G, De Agostini A, Cogoni A, Cortis P, 2018 - Distributional pattern of Sardinian orchids under a climate change scenario Community Ecology 19 (3), 223-232
Nimis PL, Martellos S, Spitale D, Nascimbene J, 2018 - Exploring patterns of commonness and rarity in lichens: a case study from Italy (Southern Europe) The Lichenologist: 50(3): 385-396
S Martellos, L Ukosich, M Avian, 2016 - JellyWeb: an interactive information system on Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa ZooKeys 554: 1-25 (18 Jan 2016) doi: 10.3897/zookeys.554.6745
Martellos S., Attorre F., Farcomeni A., Francesconi F., Pittao E., Tretiach M., 2014 - Species distribution models backing taxa delimitation: the case of the lichen Squamarina cartilaginea in Italy. Flora 209(12): 698-703
Galimberti A, De Mattia F, Losa A, Bruni I, Federici S, Casiraghi M, Martellos S, Labra M, 2013 - DNA barcoding as a new tool for food traceability. Food Research International 50(1): 55-63
Bruni I, De Mattia F, Martellos S, Galimberti A, Savadori P, Casiraghi M, Nimis PL, 2012 - DNA Barcoding as an Effective Tool in Improving a Digital Plant Identification System: A Case Study for the Area of Mt. Valerio, Trieste (NE Italy). PLoS ONE 7(9): e43256. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043256
Martellos S., Attorre F., De Felici S., Cesaroni D., Sbordoni V., Blasi C. & Nimis P.L., 2011 - Plant sciences and the Italian National Biodiversity Network. Plant Biosystems 145(4): 758-761 (DOI: 10.1080/11263504.2011.620342)
Martellos, S., 2010 - Multi-authored interactive identification keys: The FRIDA (FRiendly IDentificAtion) package. Taxon 59 (3): 922-9

Notices

The research team can host students for their graduate Thesis.

Last update: 12-02-2024 - 23:30

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