FP7-ENV-2010- INFODAY17 SEPTEMBER 2009, BRUSSELS

Area 6.2.1.4 Biodiversity

Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTA)Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna

Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna (UNIBO) http://www.unibo.itUNIBO is one of most active Italian universities in research and technology transfer. It ranks second in Italy for competitive research funding from the Italian Government. To date, UNIBO is involved in 70 projects of the FP7.

Department of Agro-Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTA) - Faculty of Agriculturehttp://www.dista.unibo.itDiSTA is one of the largest Departments of UNIBO in budget and staff, with expertises in: Agronomy, Crop Science, Plant Biodiversity and Applied Ecology, Microbiology, Entomology, Plant Pathology, Agricultural Chemistry. DiSTA has two modern farms with experimental facilities and more than 50 ha for field researches.

Prof. Maria SPERANZA, responsible of the proponent group of DiSTA-UNIBO maria.speranza@unibo.ithttp://www.unibo.it/docenti/maria.speranzaMaria SPERANZA is full professor of Environmental and Applied Botany

THE STAFF of the proponent groupProf. Marco BOSCO, Associate professor of Soil MicrobiologyDr. Lucia CONTE, Researcher of Systematic BotanyDr. Christine PICARD, Researcher of Soil MicrobiologyDr. Lucia FERRONI, Research Assistant of Environmental and Applied BotanyDr. Giuseppe PRITONI, Field Technician

ONGOING RESEARCH ACTIVITIESBiodiversity of plant species and plant communities; Biodiversity and plant functional traits; Soil and rhizosphere microbial biodiversity, community structure by cost-effective metagenome analysis; Nitrogen fixation in forests.

INVOLVEMENT IN PREVIOUS PROJECTSQLIF Quality Low Input Food - EU FP6, http://www.qlif.org (M. Bosco)

TOPICS OF INTEREST - Area 6.2.1.4 BiodiversityThe DISTA-UNIBO group is interested in joining a consortium on the topics:•ENV.2010.2.1.4-1 Functional significance of forest biodiversity•ENV.2010.2.1.4-4 Increasing the understanding of the role of soil biodiversity in ecosystem functioning

ECO-REGION • The Emilia-Romagna territory (Italy) is situated in the Continental

Biogeographic Region, at its edge with the Mediterranean Region. The Emilian plain hosts many small relicts of forests, merged in a typical intensive agriculture landscape (see ENV.2010.2.1.4-1).

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROPOSED ACTIVITY• To investigate the complex relationships among plant biodiversity

(aboveground communities), rhizosphere microbial diversity (belowground communities) and ecosystem processes through a full integrated approach.

• To experiment the use of microbial (AMF and N-fixers) diversity and dynamics, jointly with diversity and dynamics of the plant functional traits, as cost-effective indicators of sustainable management of ecosystems and soils.

EXPECTED RESULTS: 1) Prediction of the ecosystem responses to changing management and climatic conditions (ENV.2010.2.1.4-1); 2) A better understanding of the functions of soil biodiversity (ENV.2010.2.1.4-4); 3)Contribution to a sustainable management and use of soil jointly with a sustainable management and use of the whole ecosystem (ENV.2010.2.1.4-1 & ENV.2010.2.1.4-4)