Ape Francesca

Her research interests are: ecology and taxonomy of marine benthos, in particular of meiofauna, responses of marine benthic communities to anthropogenic or natural disturbs, including  climate change, trophic sediment condition and benthic biodiversity associated with different coastal and deep habitats. She has actively participated in several national and international oceanographic cruises and monitoring surveys of coastal marine environments.

• Water and sediment sampling in coastal and deep marine environments for analysis of sedimentary and suspended organic matter
• Meiofauna and macrofauna sampling in coastal and deep marine sediments, on macroalgae, on artificial substrates and in gut contents of some marine organisms (i.e. Hippocampus spp.),

• Biochemical analysis (proteins, lipids, carbohydrates) analysis of phytopigments in marine waters and sediments by spectrophotometric and fluorimetric method
• Sorting and taxonomic classification of macrofauna
• Extraction of meiofauna from sedimentary and non-sedimentary matrices, taxonomic classification, determination of biomass and morphological identification of nematodes by stereomicroscope and optical microscope

She wrote several scientific papers in international journals, technical reports of environmental monitoring activities and final project reports

• Tangherlini M, Corinaldesi C, Ape F, Greco S, Romeo T, Andaloro F, Danovaro R. 2021. Ocean Acidification Induces Changes in Virus-Host Relationships in Mediterranean Benthic Ecosystems. Microorganisms, 9, 769
• Quero GM*, Ape F*, Manini E, Mirto S, Luna GM. 2020. Temporal changes in microbial communities beneath fish farm sediments are related to organic enrichment and fish biomass over a production cycle. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7,524. *Equal contribution
• Montalto V, Rinaldi A, Ape F, Mangano MC, Gristina M, Sarà G, Mirto S. 2020. Functional role of biofouling linked to aquaculture facilities in mediterranean enclosed locations. Aquaculture Environment Interactions, 12, 11-22
• Ape F, Corriero G, Mirto S, Pierri C,  Lazic T, Gristina M. 2019. Trophic flexibility and prey selection of the wild long-snouted seahorse Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 in three coastal habitats. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 224: 1-10
• Ape F, Manini E, Quero GM, Luna GM, Vecchio P, Brignoli P, Ansferri P, Mirto S. 2019. Biostimulation of in situ microbial degradation processes in organically-enriched sediments mitigates the impact of aquaculture. Chemosphere, 226 : 715-725
• Mangano MC., Ape F, Mirto S. 2019. The role of two non-indigenous serpulid tube worms in shaping artificial hard substrata communities: case study of a fish farm in the central Mediterranean Sea. Aquaculture Environment Interactions,11: 41-51
• Ape F, Gristina M, Chemello R, Sarà G, Mirto S. 2018. Meiofauna associated with vermetid reefs: the role of macroalgae in increasing habitat size and complexity. Coral Reef, 37, Issue 3: 875-889
• Ape F, Sarà G, Airoldi L, Mancuso FP, Mirto S. 2017. Influence of environmental factors and biogenic habitats on intertidal meiofauna. Hydrobiologia, 807, Issue 1: 349-366
• Ape F, Arigò C, Gristina M, Genovese L, Di Franco A, Di Lorenzo M, Baiata P, Aglieri G, Milisenda G, Mirto S. 2016. Meiofaunal diversity and nematode assemblages in two submarine caves of a Mediterranean marine protected area. Mediterranean Marine Science, 17 Issue 1: 202-215
• Garrard SL, Hunter RC, Frommel AY, Lane AC, Phillips JC, Cooper R, Dineshram R, Cardini U, McCoy SJ, Arnberg M,  Rodrigues Alves BG, Annane S, de Orte MR, Kumar A, Aguirre-Martìnez GV, Maneja RH, Basallote MD, Ape F, Torstensson A, Bjoerk MM. 2013. Biological impacts of ocean acidification: a postgraduate perspective on research priorities. Marine Biology, 160, Issue 8: 1789-1805