Istituto Agrario di San Michele all'Adige (IASMA - Fondazione ...

NATURAL RESOURCES
DEPARTMENT
Gianni Zorzi
48 Annual Report IASMA Research Centre 2006
PART 2 | DEPARTMENTS | NATURAL RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
The department is organised into four research units: Forest Ecology and Physiology, Limnology and Fish,
Biomass and Renewable Energy, and Agrometeorology, Climatology and Aerobiology.
Forest Ecology and Physiology unit
The principal objective of the Forest Ecology and Physiology unit is to study climatic changes and their
impact on forest ecosystems, forest physiology and genetics, biodiversity conservation, as well as ecological
assessment of forest ecosystems through integrated monitoring. Principal works carried out in recent
years include studies on the incidence, damage and biological control of root-rot fungi, investigations on
the bioethology, ecology and biological control of phytophagous species, and the taxonomic identifi cation
and biodiversity monitoring of Orthoptera communities with the goal of identifying bioindicators of environmental
change. Further activities have examined in detail the genetic variability of Norway spruce in
Trentino in relation to high quality timber production, and the ecological evaluation of cypress in the Trentino
landscape, studying sustainabile cypress introduction, its potential diffusion to vocational areas and its
exploitation in landscape amenity projects.
Limnology and
Fish Research unit
The mission of the Limnology and
Fish Research unit is to carry out
research on the ecology of lakes
and rivers, and to conduct longterm
research on selected sites
and genetic studies on freshwater
species.
In this context, important studies
have recently been carried out
on the trophic evolution of lake
ecosystems in Trentino, including
long-term studies on the physical,
chemical and biological characteristics
of Lake Garda (which
has been included recently in the
Long Term Ecological Research
(LTER) network), and limnological
investigations for the restoration
and rehabilitation of some
Trentino reservoirs. Further studies
have been carried out on the
autoecology and biogeography of
planktonic taxa (dinofl agellates
and rotifers) in small lakes, and
on the application and development
of biological and functionality
indices in freshwater ecosystems
based on the study of
epilithic and epiphitic diatoms.
Beyond the monitoring of fi sh in
freshwater ecosystems for the
fi sheries management plan of
Trentino, ichthyological research
has addressed genetic diversity
in and aquaculture potential of
natural salmonid populations, as
well as the distribution, characterisation,
and rearing protocols
of salmonids in southern alpine
lakes. In particular, specifi c studies
have examined the sustainable
management of marble trout
(Salmo trutta marmoratus) with
the goal of its conservation in the
Adige basin through both genetic
and ecological characterisations.