Researcher
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Sicily Marine Centre
Integrative Marine Ecology Department (EMI)
Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (complesso Roosevelt), 90149 Palermo - Italia
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Contatto Skype: lauratamb
Curriculum vitae
Laura Tamburello - Google Scholar
Research Interests
I am an experimental ecologist, greatly interested in spatial ecology. I have been mostly working on intertidal and subtidal rocky reefs, but also in seagrass meadows and coastal dunes.
The aim of my research is to understand the effects of natural processes and anthropogenic stressors, individually or in combination, on the distribution patterns of benthic communities. I investigated the processes that regulate the success of invasion and spread of macroalgal species (e.g., Caulerpa cylindracea and Asparagopsis taxiformis), and how alien macroalgae affect native communities. I investigated the processes causing the decline or disappearance of macroalgal forests formed by Cystoseira s.l., including climate change (thermal anomalies, storm surges), chemical pollution and overgrazing. I explored which processes drive the transition between barrens, macroalgal forests and algal turfs, and investigated how thresholds for change between alternative states vary depending on the driver (natural or anthropogenic) and the environmental context. Finally, I tested the effectiveness of environmental restoration techniques for macroalgal forests at different spatial scales, investigating the natural or anthropogenic processes that influence their success.
Selected Publications
• Fabbrizzi E, Munari M, Fraschetti S, Arena C, Chiarore A, Cannavacciuolo A, Colletti A, Costanzo G, Soler-Fajardo A, Nannini M, Savinelli B, Silvestrini C, Vitale E, Tamburello L (2023) Canopy-forming macroalgae can adapt to marine heatwaves. Environmental Research 238: 117218. (DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117218)
• Tamburello L, Chiarore A, Fabbrizzi E, Colletti A, Franzitta G, Grech D, Rindi F, Rizzo L, Savinelli B, Fraschetti S (2022) Can we preserve and restore overlooked macroalgal forests? Science of the Total Environment, 806: 150855. (DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150855)
• Cebrian E, Tamburello L, Verdura J, Guarnieri G, Medrano A, Linares C, Hereu B, Garrabou J, Cerrano C, Galobart C, Fraschetti S (2021) A roadmap for restoration of Mediterranean macroalgal forests. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8: 709219. (DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2021.709219)
• Tamburello L, Papa L, Guarnieri G, Basconi L, Zampardi S, Scipione MB, Terlizzi A, Zupo V, Fraschetti S (2019) Are we ready for scaling up restoration actions? An insight from Mediterranean macroalgal canopies. PloS ONE, 14(10): e0224477. (DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224477)
• Tamburello L, Ravaglioli C, Mori G, Nuccio C, Bulleri F (2019) Enhanced nutrient loading and herbivory do not dep
