Senior Researcher
Integrative Marine Ecology Department
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, Genoa Marine Center
Villa del Principe, 4
16126 Genova - Italia
+39 081 5833672
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Research Interests
Marine ecologist with expertise on coastal benthic ecosystems, field experiments and stable isotopes (of nitrogen and carbon) as tracers for trophic interactions.
My work focuses on the ecological role of marine benthic species, in their biological interactions and how they contribute to ecosystem functions, in response to natural and human-related perturbations. I have mainly worked in temperate shallow sedimentary habitats, seagrass meadows and recently in sandy shores, using field experiments and laboratory studies. I often use stable isotopes at their natural concentrations and as tracers to get inside the trophic relationships between organisms that may modify carbon and nutrient cycling. At present I follow 3 PhD projects that focus on questions related to the changes in trophic relationships in response to the impact of artificial light at night (ALAN), history of human settlements on Mediterranean coasts and the use of artificial habitats to improve biodiversity and functioning of marinas. I also work on the role of seagrass detritus (Posidonia oceanica necromass) as habitat and food for invertebrates and coastal fishes in sandy shore and I am involved in education activities to ameliorate general knowledge on beach ecology.
Selected Publications
Bussotti S, Guidetti P, Rossi F (2022) Posidonia oceanica wrack beds as a fish habitat in the surf zone Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 10.1016/j.ecss.2022.107882
Costa V, Chemello R, Iaciofano D, Lo Brutto S, Rossi F (2021) Small-scale patches of detritus as habitat for invertebrates within a Zostera noltei meadow, Marine Environmental Research, 171, 105474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2021.105474 (WOS:000701668100002)
Gagnon K, Gustafsson C, Salo T, Rossi F, Gunell S, Richardson JP, Reynolds PL, Duffy JE, Boström C (2021) Role of food web interactions in promoting resilience to nutrient enrichment in a brackish water eelgrass (Zostera marina) ecosystem. Limnology and oceanography, 66(7), 2810–2826. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11792 (WOS:000654272100001)
Hovel KA, Duffy EJ, Stachowicz JJ, Reynolds P, Boström C, Boyer C , Cimon S, Cusson M, Fodrie JL, Gagnon K, Hereu CM,Hori M, Jorgensen P, Kruschel C, Nakaoka M, O’Connor NE, Rossi F, Ruesink J, Tomas F, Ziegler S (2021) Joint effects of patch edges and habitat degradation on faunal predation risk in a widespread marine foundation species. Ecology, 102(5), e03316. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3316 (WOS:000637684700001)
Rossi F, Viejo RM, Duarte L, Vaz-Pinto F, Gestoso I, Olabarria C (2019) Removal of an established invader can change gross primary production of native macroalgae and alter carbon flow in intertidal rock pools. PLoS ONE 14(12), e0217121. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0217121 (WOS:000533969300003)
Röhr ME, Holmer M, Baum J, Björk M, Boyer K, Chin D, Cimon S, Cusson M, Dahl M, Deyanova M, Duffy JM, Eklöf J, Geyer, JK, Griffin JN, Gullström M, Hereu CM, Hori M, Hovel KA, Hughes AR, Jorgensen P, Kiriakopolos S, Moksnes PO, Nakaoka M, O'Connor MI, Peterson B, Reiss K, Reynolds PL, Rossi F, Ruesink J, Santos R, Stachowicz JJ, Tomas F, Lee KS, Unsworth RKF, Boström C (2018) Blue carbon storage capacity of temperate eelgrass (Zostera marina) meadows. Global Biogeochemical Cycles, 32(10), 1457–1475. https://doi.org/10.1029/2018GB005941 (WOS:000450063500004)
Duarte L, Rossi F, Viejo R (2015) Effects of the decline of the alga Fucus serratus L at the rear edge of its range on benthic assemblages and trophic linkages. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 527, 87–103. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11248 (WOS:000354395700007)
Rossi F, Baeta A, Marques JC (2014) Stable isotopes reveal habitat-related diet shifts in facultative deposit-feeders. Journal of Sea Research, 95, 172–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.seares.2014.07.004 (WOS:000347762500018)
Rossi F, Colao E, Martinez MJ, Klein JC, Carcaillet F, Callier MD, Wit R, Caro A (2013) Spatial distribution and nutritional requirements of the endosymbiont-bearing bivalve Loripes lacteus (sensu Poli, 1791) in a Mediterranean Nanozostera noltii meadow. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 440, 108–115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2012.12.010 (WOS:000316092500016)
Rossi F, Gribsholt B, Gazeau F, Di Santo V, Middelburg JJ (2013) Complex Effects of Ecosystem Engineer Loss on Benthic Ecosystem Response to Detrital Macroalgae. PLoS ONE, 8 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066650 (WOS:000320846500084)
