Dr Luca Rindi1, Dr. Mara Miculan3, Prof. Matteo Dell’Acqua2, Prof. Mario Enrico Pè2, Prof. Lisandro Benedetti-Cecchi1
1Department of Biology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy, 2Institute of Life Sciences, Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna, Pisa, Italy, 3Center for Desert Agriculture, Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering Division (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
Future changes in climate extremes and variability are projected to substantially impair the ability of ecosystems to cope with future perturbations. However, how the history of disturbance affects the ability of ecological systems to respond to future perturbations remains largely unknown. We used rocky intertidal biofilm as a model system to experimentally assess how multiple components of ecological stability (sensitivity, resilience, temporal invariance and recovery) were affected by two scenarios of thermal variability (regular and variable) and how such scenarios modified the response of biofilm when exposed to subsequent warming extremes. Results indicated that past thermal disturbance, whether variable or regular, reduced the sensitivity and enhanced resilience of biofilm to subsequent extreme temperatures. An integrated metagenomic analysis showed that the microbial functional community of biofilm was altered by thermal variability, promoting the abundance of genes involved in resistance to warming. Altogether, our results suggest that thermal legacies can increase the resilience and stability of microbial communities to extreme warming events through adaptation and selection of resistant taxa.
Presentation Slides – Luca Rindi
Biography:
I’m a marine ecologist that combines field experiments, mathematical models, simulations, and dataset analyses to address fundamental questions in ecology. I completed my PhD at the University of Pisa in 2016, focusing on understanding the effects of regime shifts and loss of resilience in rocky shore ecosystems and identifying suitable and effective early warning indicators under naturally fluctuating conditions. My current research topic focuses on understanding how fluctuating conditions influence the stability and persistence of coastal assemblages.
