Behavioural ecology of reproduction of fish and conservation

Carlotta Mazzoldi, Federica Poli, Matteo Barbato, Elena Desiderà

The knowledge of behavioural ecology is recognized to play an important role in evaluating species vulnerability and developing effective management strategies. Our research is focused on the study of the reproductive biology (mating system, reproductive sites, parental care) and the use of space of commercial species of teleosts and elasmobranchs.

The research on elasmobranchs is mostly carried out in the Adriatic Sea. By the integration of different approaches, including fishery data analyses, surveys onboard of fishing vessels, the recovery of the traditional ecological knowledge of fishermen, conventional tagging, and genetic analyses, we aim to reconstruct movement patterns, aggregations’ occurrence, and use of space of the most abundant elasmobranch species in order to provide data useful for the development of fishery management strategies.

The study of the reproductive biology of teleost fish is focused on two main topics: 1) the temporal and spatial variations of reproductive activities and life history traits in two species, the grass goby, Zosterisessor ophiocepalus, and the sand smelt, Atherina boyeri, in Venetian Lagoon areas (Italy) subjected to changes in hydrodynamism; 2) the role of marine protected areas in maintaining reproductive aggregations and mating behaviours of the dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus, in Sardinia (Italy).

Collaborations:

Lorenzo Zane, Department of Biology, University of Padova (Italy).

Paolo Guidetti, Ecosytemes Cotiers Marins et Reponses aux Stress, Université Nice Sophia Antipolis, Francia.

Francesco Colloca, IAMC-CNR Mazara del Vallo (Tp) .

Michele Gristina, IAMC-CNR Mazara del Vallo (Tp).

Antonello Sala, IRBIM-CNR Ancona.

Diego Borme, OGS Trieste.

Database:

Clodia Database: https://chioggia.biologia.unipd.it/en/the-database/

Selected publications:

Marino I.A.M., Finotto L., Colloca F., Di Lorenzo M., Gristina M., Farrell E.D., Zane L., Mazzoldi C. 2018. Resolving the ambiguities in the identification of two smooth-hound sharks (Mustelus mustelus and Mustelus punctulatus) using genetics and morphology. Marine Biodiversity 48: 1551-1562

Finotto L., Barausse A., Mazzoldi C. 2016. In search of prey: the occurrence of Alopias vulpinus in the northern Adriatic Sea and its interactions with fishery. Acta Adriatica 57(2): 295 – 304.

Finotto L., Gristina M., Garofalo G., Riginella E., Mazzoldi C. 2015. Contrasting life history and reproductive traits in two populations of Scyliorhinus canicula. Marine Biology 162: 1175-1186

Marino I.A.M., Riginella E., Gristina M., Rasotto M.B., Zane L., Mazzoldi C. 2015. Multiple paternity and hybridization in two smooth-hound sharks. Scientific Report  5:12919

Barausse A., Correale V., Curkovic A., Finotto L., Riginella E., Visentin E., Mazzoldi C. 2014. The role of fisheries and the environment in driving the decline of elasmobranchs in the northern Adriatic Sea. ICES Journal of Marine Science 71: 1593-1603.

Click here to publication list.