Researcher

Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn
Calabria Marine Centre – CRIMAC
Dipartimento di Ecologia Marina Integrata (EMI)
Lungomare Cristoforo Colombo (complesso Roosevelt), 90149 Palermo – Italia

Tel.: +39 081 5833271
Fax.: +39 081 7641355
E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Link CV
Chiara Pennesi - Orcid
Chiara Pennesi - Research Gate 

Research Interests

My research activities are principally focused on the study of the taxonomy and phylogenetic systematics of benthic diatoms through the integration of classical and molecular approaches. One of my specialist areas is the systematic revision of the genera Mastogloia, Diplones, Anorthoneis, Scoliopleura and Hyalosira (Phylum Bacillariophyta). To date, I have discovered and instituted 24 new taxa deposited in international museums such as Natural History Museum (London). Through my skills in taxonomy, I also study the biodiversity and ecology of microphytobenthos (MPB) using it for assessing the health of coastal marine ecosystems. In this context, the specific analysis of species of diatoms showed that some genera could be used as indicators of stressed conditions and nutrient enriched. One line of applied research that I have been exploring is the use of macroalgae industrial waste material, occurring from the processing to produce food supplements, as an innovative method for the industrial wastewater treatment and to recovery of rare and precious heavy metals (e.g., indium). Mechanisms involved in the biosorption process have a chemical-physical nature. In this context, an industrial waste material become resources to use both for the recycling of rare heavy metals and for the remediation of wastewater (Circular Economy). Other research interests concern: a) taxonomy and biodiversity of marine macroalgae and angiosperms; b) growth of algae belonging to Phylum Chlorophyta in relation to environmental parameters. All research activities have been developed based upon funding such as SYNTHESYS, DEVOTES and to important collaborations with Italian and foreign Universities.

Selected Publications

• Pennesi C, Becci A, Amato A, (2023). Marine materials as innovative metal sorbents suitable for applications in wastewater treatments. Journal of Water Process Engineering, 55, 104284.
(DOI: 10.1016/j.jwpe.2023.104284)
• Pennesi C, Romagnoli T, Mutalipassi M, De Stefano M, Greco S, Totti C, (2023). New insights into the association between epizoic diatoms and the sea turtle Chelonia mydas: new Mastogloia taxon (Bacillariophyceae) from Iran. Phycologia, 62(3): 225–236.
(DOI: 10.1080/00318884.2023.2184126)
• Al-Handal AY, Wulff A, Pennesi C, (2021). Mastogloia jahniae sp. nov., a new diatom (Bacillariophyceae) from the Baltic Sea coast of Sweden. Phytotaxa, 484: 121-128.
(DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.484.1.6)
• Pennesi C, Amato A, Occhialini S, Critchley AT, Totti C, Giorgini E, Conti C, Beolchini F, (2019). Adsorption of indium by waste biomass of brown alga Ascophyllum nodosum. Scientific Reports, 9: 16763.
(DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-53172-8)
• Pennesi C, Majewska R, Sterrenburg FAS, Totti C, De Stefano M, (2018). Taxonomic revision and morphological cladistics analysis of the diatom genus Anorthoneis (Cocconeidaceae), with description of Anorthoneis arthus-bertrandii sp. nov. Phytotaxa, 336: 201-238.
(DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.336.3.1)

Websites or online articles

Lobban CS, Ashworth M, Pennesi C, Park JS, Jordan RW, Theriot EC, (2009-2020). Western Pacific Diatoms Project. ProtistCentral. http://www.protistcentral.org/index.php/Project/get/project_id/17.

Book chapters

Pennesi C, Rindi F, Totti C, Beolchini F, (2015). Marine macrophytes: Biosorbents. In: Springer Handbook of Marine Biotechnology, Springer editor; Vol. 24, pp. 597-610.