Subject Area
Biological Oceanography, Marine Ecology
Activities
Dr. Marco Munari’s research focuses on the ecophysiology and adaptive responses of marine organisms to anthropogenic environmental change. In particular, he investigates how chronic stressors such as ocean acidification, pollution, and habitat degradation affect organismal performance, population dynamics, and ecosystem functioning in coastal marine systems. Over the past decade, he has combined field research at natural CO₂ vent systems with controlled laboratory and mesocosm experiments to investigate how long-term environmental variability shapes physiological plasticity and ecological resilience. This integrative approach links organismal responses to broader ecosystem processes, contributing to the understanding of how marine communities respond to persistent environmental change. His work aims to provide a mechanistic basis for the conservation, restoration, and sustainable management of coastal ecosystems under accelerating anthropogenic pressures. He has authored or co-authored approximately 50 peer-reviewed publications spanning marine ecophysiology, stress ecology, and global change biology, which have collectively received more than 1,600 citations (h-index 22; Google Scholar). Building on this background, his current research increasingly integrates organismal ecophysiology, ecosystem processes, and restoration ecology to better understand the resilience of habitat-forming species and coastal ecosystems under multiple anthropogenic stressors.
Sea regions of study
Mediterranean Sea - Eastern Basin
