Alessia Cariani

RESEARCH INTERESTS

My scientific interests focus on the identification and description of the evolutionary and environmental drivers of biodiversity in marine taxa throughout the development and application of innovative genetic and genomic tools. In addition, I’m also interested in the technological application of the developed tools (i.e. genomic resources and novel array of SNP markers obtained using NGS approaches) to the sustainable management of fishery resources. Past and on-going research projects include EU-funded and national funded projects that disentangle neutral and adaptive variation in relevant commercial fishery and aquacultured marine species (i.e. bluefin tuna, sole, hake) and exploit scientific results in a traceability and management context. During my PhD program I developed and validated DNA microarray prototypes for the detection and characterization of pathogens (Vibrio) in commercial shellfish for human consumption.

Up to now my principal research activities focused on:

• Genome scan analysis of spatial - temporal patterns of genetic diversity and population structure in marine fishes for (i) traceability of fish and fish products, (ii) correlation between genetic variation and environmental factors and (iii) demographic inference. See Population genomics and traceability of marine fish
• Evolutionary biogeography, conservation genetics and molecular taxonomy of Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean elasmobranches using multiple sets of molecular markers. See Evolution, systematics and conservation of cartilaginous fish and Animal molecular phylogenetics and DNA barcoding of Chordata