Researcher
Marine Biotechnology Department
Tel. +39 081 5833227
Fax: +39 081 7641355
E-mail: eugenio.rastelli(at)szn.it
Research interests
Marine ecosystems host 1030 prokaryotic (bacterial and archaeal) cells and 1031 viruses, which represent ~90% of the Earth’s microbial abundance and largely contribute to organic matter cycling and biogeochemical processes, profoundly influencing global ecosystem functioning. My integrated and interdisciplinary research aims at unveiling the diversity and functioning of microbial assemblages in different marine systems, including the deep sea (down to hadal trenches), hydrothermal vents, marine aerosols, and polluted sites. Research focuses include the effects of climate change (ocean acidification, warming, deoxygenation, shifts in carbon export to the seafloor) on marine viruses and microbes, the impact of viruses on the diversity and functioning of benthic/planktonic microbes, the ecological/biogeochemical role of virus-host dynamics (particularly on heterotrophic and chemoautotrophic processes and implications for higher trophic levels) and how marine pollution can affect them, as well as potential applications of marine microbes in biotechnology and bioremediation. To collect/analyze seawater and sediment samples from all around the world (Pacific, Atlantic, Arctic, Southern Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, North Sea), I use standard and cutting-edge sampling/lab methods, also thanks to ongoing international collaborations with colleagues in USA, Japan, France, UK, Croatia, Norway, Denmark. Sampling employs multi-corers, gravity-corers, CTD-carousels, ROVs, manned submersibles; and I apply the following lab techniques: (light/epifluorescence) microscopy, DNA&RNA extraction, purification & (Sanger-/NextGen-)sequencing, PCR-based assays, and functional measurements (using radiolabeled or fluorogenic substrates). My research will help shading light on the diversity and role of marine viruses and microbes at different time and spatial scales, also investigating their possible utilization in applied ecotechnologies.
Selected Publications
Luna, G. M., Corinaldesi, C., Rastelli, E., Danovaro, R. (2013). Patterns and drivers of bacterial α‐and β‐diversity across vertical profiles from surface to subsurface sediments. Environmental microbiology reports 5: 731-739. doi: 10.1111/1758-2229.12075
Caruso, G., La Ferla, R., Azzaro, M., Zoppini, A., Marino, G., Petochi, T., Corinaldesi, C., Leonardia, M., Zaccone, R., Fonda Umani, S., Caroppo, C., Monticelli, L., Azzaro, F., Decembrini, F., Maimone, G., Cavallo, R.A., Stabili, L., Todorova, N.H., Karamfilov, V.K., Rastelli, E., Cappello, S., Acquaviva, M.I., Narracci, M., De Angelis, R., Del Negro, P., Latini, M., Danovaro R. (2015). Microbial assemblages for environmental quality assessment: Knowledge, gaps and usefulness in the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Critical Reviews in Microbiology 42: 883-904. doi:10.3109/1040841X.2015.1087380
Recommended in F1000 Prime http://f1000.com/prime/ext/725964746
Rastelli E., Corinaldesi C., Dell’Anno A., Amaro, T., Queirós, A.M., Widdicombe, S., Danovaro, R. (2015). Impact of CO2 leakage from sub-seabed carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) reservoirs on benthic virus–prokaryote interactions and functions. Frontiers in Microbiology 6:935. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00935 F1000 Prime http://f1000.com/prime/ext/725832867
Rastelli E., Corinaldesi C., Dell'Anno A., Greco, S., Lo Martire, M., Carugati, L., Queirós, A.M., Widdicombe, S., Danovaro, R. (2016). CO2 leakage from carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) systems affects organic matter cycling in surface marine sediments. Marine Environmental Research 122:158-168. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2016.10.007
Rastelli E., Corinaldesi C., Petani B., Dell'Anno, A., Ciglenečki, I., Danovaro, R. (2016). Enhanced viral activity and dark CO2 fixation rates under oxygen depletion: the case study of the marine Lake Rogoznica. Environmental Microbiology 18:4511-4522. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.13484
Danovaro, R., Dell’Anno, A., Corinaldesi, C., Rastelli, E., Cavicchioli, R., Krupovic, M., Noble, R.T., Nunoura, T., Prangishvili, D. (2016). Virus-mediated archaeal hecatomb in the deep seafloor. Science Advances 2016c;2:e1600492. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.1600492
Rastelli E., Dell’Anno A., Corinaldesi C., Middelboe, M., Noble, R.T., Danovaro, R. (2016). Quantification of viral and prokaryotic production rates in benthic ecosystems: A methods comparison. Frontiers in Microbiology 7:1501. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2016.01501
Danovaro R, Rastelli E., Corinaldesi C, Dell’Anno A. (2017). Marine archaea and archaeal viruses under global change. F1000Res 6:1241. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11404.1
Rastelli E., Corinaldesi C., Dell'Anno A., Tangherlini, M., Martorelli, E., Ingrassia, M., Lo Martire, M., Chiocci F.L., Danovaro, R. (2017). High potential for temperate viruses to drive carbon cycling in chemoautotrophy‐dominated shallow‐water hydrothermal vents. Environmental Microbiology [Epub ahead of print] doi:10.1111/1462-2920.13890
Rastelli, E., Corinaldesi, C., Dell’Anno, A., Lo Martire, M., Greco, S., Facchini, M.C., O’Dowd, C., Ceburnis, D., Danovaro, R. (2017). Transfer of labile organic matter and microbes from the ocean surface to the marine aerosol: an experimental approach. Scientific Reports 7, 11475. doi: 10.1038/s41598-017-10563-z
Book chapters
Danovaro, R., Corinaldesi, C., Rastelli, E., Dell’Anno, A. (2016). Impacts and effects of ocean warming on microorganisms. In Explaining ocean warming: causes, scale, effects and consequences. Laffoley, D, and Baxter, JM. Eds. Full report. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature). pp. 57-74. ISBN: 978-2-8317-1806-4
Danovaro, R., Rastelli, E., Corinaldesi, C., Dell’Anno, A. (2014). Deep-sea microbes and their role in the ocean interior. In: The Significance and Management of Natural Carbon Stores in the Open Ocean. Laffoley D, Baxter JM, Thevenon F and Oliver J, Eds., Gland, Switzerland: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature); 2014 pp. 103-115. ISBN: 978-208317-1692-3
Danovaro, R., Rastelli, E., Corinaldesi, C., Dell’Anno, A. (2014). Deep-sea chemosynthetic carbon production. In: Laffoley D, Baxter JM, Thevenon F and Oliver J, Eds. The Significance and Management of Natural Carbon Stores in the Open Ocean. Gland, Switzerland: IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature); 2014 pp. 93-102. ISBN: 978-208317-1692-3
Websites
Personal websites:
Google Scholar_ https://scholar.google.it/citations?user=1EDbmfYAAAAJ&hl=it
Researchgate_ https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Eugenio_Rastelli
Loop-Frontiers_ http://loop.frontiersin.org/people/258585/overview
