Simone Baldanzi

Lines of Investigation:

My research interests lie within the fields of marine ecology, ecophysiology and evolutionary ecology. My research line is mainly experimental with emphasis on understanding how marine organisms respond rapidly to environmental stressors and changes. Facing a global change scenario, it is crucial to understand such responses at individual level, as individuality (i.e. individual variability) is one of the key factors in the adaptation to environmental changes. From this perspective investigating phenotypic plasticity, maternal effects, environmental epigenetic, reproductive investment will help to understand better the interaction between individuals and their environment. In general, I strongly believe that inquiring how an expressed phenotypic trait has been shaped by the environment (focussing on the proximate causes), rather than asking what that trait has been selected for (an ultimate, finalist investigation), would give a more measurable and comprehensive explanation of one of the most intriguing aspects of nature, the evolution of species.