Research Directors
Integrative Marine Ecology Department

Coordinator: Fano Marine Centre

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Fano Marine Centre
Viale Adriatico 1/N
61032 Fano - Italia

Tel.: +39 338 708 7997
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Google Scholar profile

Research Interests

My research is primarily concerned with trophic ecology – who eats who – and what effects these interactions have on community structure. I am especially interested in the functional role of predators in coastal marine systems and their impacts on the trophic structure of reef assemblages, and patterns in marine species diversity and functional diversity at varying scales. Related to this is the use of marine protected areas to represent more “natural” conditions so as to understand trophic linkages that may be lost when populations are fished. I have also been involved in studies of fish movement, fish assemblage relationships with habitat, small-scale fisheries assessments, and survey methodologies for fishes. I have also been drawn into studies on soft-sediment ecosystems, distribution of marine mammals, and ecological statistics.

Selected Publications

Noè S, F Stenico, F Cardone, A Terlizzi, S Canese, T Romeo, C Bonaviri, A Aiello, TJ Willis (2026) Big sharks in the dark - high densities of blunt-nosed sixgill shark Hexanchus griseus in the Gulf of Naples. Ecology 107: e70388. doi:10.1002/ecy.70388

González-Vidal A, S Caruso, F Badalamenti, JE Argente-Garcia, TJ Willis, AF Skarmeta (2026) AI-driven analysis of fish reproductive behaviour. Ecological Informatics 94: 103614. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoinf.2026.103614

Negro E, RAR McGill, F Badalamenti, O Borgheresi, L Locatello, A Zenone, TJ Willis (2026) Stable isotope values from teleost fin membrane as a non-lethal substitute for muscle tissue. Hydrobiologia 853: 1391-1415.

Corinaldesi C, S Canensi, A Dell’Anno, M Tangherlini, I Di Capua, S Varella, TJ Willis, C Cerrano, R Danovaro (2021) Multiple effects of microplastics can threaten marine habitat-forming species. Communications Biology 4: 431. doi:10.1038/s42003-021-01961-1

Willis TJ, KTL Berglöf, RAR McGill, L Musco, S Piraino, CM Rumsey, T Vega Fernández & F Badalamenti (2017) Kleptopredation: a mechanism to facilitate planktivory in a benthic mollusc. Biology Letters 13: 20170447.

Edgar GJ, RD Stuart-Smith, TJ Willis, SJ Kininmonth, SC Baker, S Banks, NS Barrett, MA Beccero, ATF Bernard, J Berkout, CD Buxton, SJ Campbell, AT Cooper, M Davey, SC Edgar, G Försterra, DE Galván, AJ Irigoyen, DJ Kushner, R Moura, PE Parnell, NT Shears, GA Soler, EMA Strain & RJ Thomson (2014) Global conservation outcomes depend on marine protected areas with five key features. Nature 506: 216-220.

Stuart-Smith RD, AE Bates, JS Lefcheck, JE Duffy, SC Baker, RJ Thomson, JF Stuart-Smith, NA Hill, SJ Kininmonth, L Airoldi, MA Becerro, SJ Campbell, TP Dawson, SA Navarrete, GA Soler, EMA Strain, TJ Willis & GJ Edgar (2013) Integrating abundance and functional traits reveals new global hotspots of fish diversity. Nature 501: 539-542.

Willis TJ, CJ Sweeting, SJ Bury, SJ Handley, JCS Brown, DJ Freeman, DJ Cairney & MJ Page (2013) Matching and mismatching stable isotope (15N and 13C) ratios among fish species in fin and muscle tissue: a critical review. Marine Biology 160: 1633-1644.

Willis TJ & RB Millar (2005) Using marine reserves to estimate fishing mortality. Ecology Letters 8: 47-52.

Willis TJ & MJ Anderson (2003) Structure of cryptic reef fish assemblages: relationships with habitat characteristics and predator density. Marine Ecology Progress Series 257: 209-221.

Willis TJ, RB Millar & RC Babcock (2003) Protection of exploited fishes in temperate regions: high density and biomass of snapper Pagrus auratus (Sparidae) in northern New Zealand marine reserves. Journal of Applied Ecology 40: 214-227.
Anderson MJ & TJ Willis (2003) Canonical analysis of principal coordinates: a useful method of constrained ordination for ecology. Ecology 84: 511-525.

Willis TJ & RC Babcock (2000) A baited underwater video system for the determination of relative density of carnivorous reef fish. Marine and Freshwater Research 51: 755-763.

Willis TJ, RB Millar & RC Babcock (2000) Detection of spatial variability in relative density of fishes: comparison of visual census, angling, and baited underwater video. Marine Ecology Progress Series 198: 249-260.