About me
I was born in Catanzaro, the capital of Calabria, a region in southern Italy characterised by nearly 800 km of coastline. Growing up near the sea fostered my interest and curiosity in marine ecosystems.
I obtained my Bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences and my Master's degree in Biodiversity and Natural Systems (marine pathway) at the University of Calabria (UNICAL)During these years I focused on marine megafauna, particularly cetaceans. Subsequently, I expanded my research experience through a two-year research fellowship at the Calabria Regional Environmental Protection Agency (Arpacal)Within the framework of the European Union Marine Strategy Framework Directive, focusing on the macrozoobenthos of hard and soft substrates and on exotic species (Module 3).
I am currently pursuing a PhD and am about to complete a second-level master's degree in Biodiversity Management and Conservation (GC-BIORA) at the UNICALMy master's thesis focuses on a pilot study on the restoration of meadows of Posidonia oceanica.
My current doctoral project is based on this important ecosystem and focuses on the vagile fauna associated with the meadows of P. oceanicawith the aim of assessing its potential as a bioindicator of the ecological status of the habitat. Current European monitoring guidelines for these meadows do not yet consider these communities, despite their ecological relevance and sensitivity to environmental and anthropogenic changes. By comparing the Ionian and Tyrrhenian coasts of Calabria — a region that can act as a biogeographical barrier in the central Mediterranean — the project aims to identify key species useful for assessing ecological quality and for developing effective conservation and restoration strategies.
As part of my doctoral training, I am currently undertaking a research stay abroad at the Blanes Centre for Advanced Studies (CEAB), where I have joined the GAME group under the supervision of Dr Oscar Serrano and the Dr Miguel Ángel MateoMy research here focuses on the qualitative and quantitative analysis of microfaunal assemblages (for example, foraminifera) preserved in sediment cores collected from Mediterranean seagrass meadows. This work aims to identify key taxa and assess the diversity and abundance of species. The integration of these data with existing environmental parameters and age models will allow the reconstruction of palaeoenvironmental variations and the establishment of historical baselines to evaluate the health and resilience of the meadows. Posidonia oceanica.
Hobbies
Diving, snorkelling, beach activities, music, nature exploration, travel, and learning new languages and cultures.
Scientific interests
Conservation and management of marine and coastal ecosystems
Restoration of marine ecosystems
Marine ecology
Marine zoology (from marine mammals to small invertebrates)
Project in the GAME
This project focuses on the qualitative-quantitative analysis of microfauna assemblages preserved in sediment cores. Using already processed samples from contrasting environments, the study will concentrate on identifying key groups of organisms, calculating species diversity and relative abundance, and interpreting these data alongside pre-existing age models and environmental parameters. In particular, the study aims to reconstruct changes in foraminiferal assemblages over the past centuries in some meadows of P. oceanica from the eastern Mediterranean in response to environmental factors. Specifically, the objective is to understand how the arrival and spread of the exotic species Amphistegina lobifera They have altered the dynamics of the foraminiferal community and the biodiversity of the studied seagrass meadows. This approach will allow for an understanding of how data from multiple indicators are integrated to build robust palaeoenvironmental narratives and, in the long term, will provide valuable information on the current health and resilience of seagrass meadows by establishing historical baselines and identifying the timing and factors driving ecological change.
Project in the GAME
Fabietti, Y., Spadaro, C., Tigani, A., Giglio, G., Barbuto, G., Romano, V., … & Sperone, E. (2024). Surface Behaviours of Humpback Whale Megaptera novaeangliae at Nosy Be (Madagascar). Biology, 13(12), 996. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology13120996
Scarcelli, F., Spadaro, C.Ienco, A., Osso, V., Giovannelli, P., Greco, S., … & Piro, A. (2025). Evaluation of the ecological status of Posidonia oceanica meadows along the Calabrian Coasts: A multi-index approach. Ecological Indicators, 173, 113408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2025.113408
