Laboratory of di Forest Ecological Genetics

Responsabile Prof. Marco Cosimo Simeone

Email: mcsimeone@unitus.it

The laboratory of Forest Ecological Genetics is equipped with modern instrumentation for developing research and teaching (stage, traineeships, and research thesis).

We study forest biodiversity in the Mediterranean Biome with molecular and bioinformatics tools. In particular, we explore the following topics aimed at understanding the evolution of forest tree species, the diversity of populations, forest sustainability and in-situ/ex-situ conservation strategies:

• Phylogeny, taxonomy and diversity of Quercus and Fagus species at various geographic scale (regional and continental), using classical and advanced molecular markers (SSR, Sanger and Next Generation Sequencing);
• Distribution and adaptability of typical, endemic, scattered and rare species of the Italian wild dendroflora (using the above cited tools and Species Distribution Models such as MaxEnt);
• Species identification from tissue fragments (DNA Barcoding);
• Multiplication and management of peculiar tree individuals/species in forest nurseries.