Point of contact at UniTrento
prof. Omar Rota-Stabelli (coordinator)
prof. Gianfranco Anfora
prof.ssa Ilaria Pertot
prof. Nicola Segata
dr. Alberto Maria Cattaneo
Point of contact at FEM
dr. Claudio Donati
dr. Valerio Mazzoni
dr. Annapaola Rizzoli
dr. Matthias Scholz
dr. Claudio Varotto
dr. Cristiano Vernesi
The cluster aims to understand how organisms evolved and diversified over time in order to explain their biology, functional traits and current and future distribution under global environmental change. By reconstructing evolutionary histories, the cluster provides a unifying framework to interpret biological diversity across agricultural, environmental and biomedical systems.
Research topics focus on a broad range of taxa, including insects of agricultural and medical-veterinary relevance (Drosophila, Aedes, Trissolcus, Halyomorpha, Lobesia, Cydia, Ips, Cacopsylla), animals of evolutionary and conservation interest (sponges, crustaceans, tardigrades, reptiles, mammals) and organisms central to agroecosystems and environmental health (Wolbachia, coronavirus, phages, arbovirus, human, animal, and soil microbiomes). The cluster also investigates the evolution of plants and fungi relevant to agriculture (eg: Arundo, Fagus, Castanea, Vitis, Ascomycota). Particular attention is given to understanding evolutionary divergence, adaptation processes and the conservation of gene functions across kingdoms of life.
Methodologically, the cluster integrates phylogenomics, molecular clock approaches and comparative genomics using a wide spectrum of molecular data, ranging from targeted markers to whole genomes and transcriptome-derived datasets. In some systems, reconstructed ancient genomes and metagenomes are used to improve temporal calibration and evolutionary inference.
The outputs include robust phylogenies, evolutionary timelines, genomic resources and comparative insights that inform pest management, biodiversity conservation, functional genomics and applied biological research.
Research lines:
- Resolving difficult phylogenies using complex models of evolution.
- Estimating divergence times using relaxed molecular clocks and fossil calibrations.
- Reconstruction of genomes from ancient metagenomes and their use in calibrating molecular clocks.
- De novo genome sequencing of arthropods and microbes of agricultural and med-vet importance.
- Comparative genomics of gene families (opsins, chemoreceptors).