TOMMASO VALENTE

Dottore di ricerca

ciclo: XXXVI


supervisore: Prof.ssa Maria Letizia Costantini

Titolo della tesi: Understanding pathways of microplastics through marine food webs: Developing a system perspective to achieve a reliable monitoring strategy

The diffusion of synthetic compounds and materials in natural environments is an irreversible change posing emerging threats to the structure and functioning of ecosystems. Over the last two decades many studies have highlighted the presence of small plastic particles in every kind of environmental sample. Most studies about microplastics (i.e., synthetic particles ≤ 5 mm in size) emphasize contamination of marine environment, which represents the main sink for this class of contaminants. However, the comprehension of the pathways that microplastics follow from sources to sinks and the dynamic of their entry and transfer through the food webs are still important knowledge gaps to be filled. One of the main research priorities on microplastic pollution is to develop monitoring strategies to assess the impact of microplastic ingestion on wild organisms. Although fish species are regarded as good bioindicators, the complex mechanisms linking microplastic ingestion to the biology and ecology of different species complicate the collection of comparable data over time and across different marine regions. This thesis has the ultimate aim of providing basic recommendations for the development of monitoring programs based on fish species. To achieve this objective, the analysis of the distribution of microplastics in seawater and on the seabed has been combined with studies investigating the relationship between microplastic ingestion and the ecology and biology of candidate target species. Results highlighted that the environmental fate of microplastics with different physicochemical characteristics is determined by the arrangement of several factors, including the circulation of seawater on different spatial scales, the effects of deep currents, the topography of the seabed, as well as the presence and location of contamination sources (e.g., river flows, urban settlements, and seaports). The relationship between the contamination of environmental matrices and the bioavailability of microplastics has turned out to be even more complex. In particular, the exploitation of different habitat underlies the ingestion of different microplastic types. At the same time, species-specific ecological traits affect microplastic ingestion rates, which could be further influenced by the individual features of the specimens examined. Overall, the present work indicates that effective monitoring programs should be based on the definition of specific monitoring objectives for assessing the impact of determined microplastic types, which should be defined according to the actions implemented by the policy. From this perspective, future studies on microplastic pollution should give more attention to the meaning of categories used to classify microplastics.

Produzione scientifica

11573/1710281 - 2024 - Defining the role of Sabellaria alveolata reefs as nursery areas for juvenile fish. First evidence from drone-based imagery and underwater visual census data
Ventura, D; Dubois, Sf; Cardella, E; Colloca, F; Tiralongo, F; Rakaj, A; Bonifazi, A; Jona Lasinio, G; Mancini, E; Bertocci, I; Casoli, E; Mancini, G; Valente, T; Belluscio, A; Ardizzone, G; Gravina, Mf - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES (Inter-Research Science Publishing:Nordbuente 23, D-21385 Oldendorf Germany:011 49 4132 7127, EMAIL: subscription@int-res.com, INTERNET: http://www.int-res.com, Fax: 011 49 4123 8883) pp. 103-123 - issn: 0171-8630 - wos: WOS:001214316400002 (1) - scopus: (0)

11573/1706182 - 2024 - First record of the Asian freshwater fish Pseudorasbora parva (Temminck and Schlegel, 1846) from Lake Bracciano (Central Italy)
Ventura, Matteo; Valente, Tommaso; Seminara, Marco; Careddu, Giulio; Sporta Caputi, Simona; Calizza, Edoardo; Rossi, Loreto; Costantini, Maria Letizia - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: BIOINVASIONS RECORDS (Helsinki : Regional Euro-Asian Biological Invasions Centre (REABIC), 2011-) pp. 233-240 - issn: 2242-1300 - wos: (0) - scopus: (0)

11573/1687088 - 2023 - A preliminary study on shape descriptors for the characterization of microplastics ingested by fish
Panunzi, Greta; Valente, Tommaso; Matiddi, Marco; Jona Lasinio, Giovanna - 04b Atto di convegno in volume
congresso: Statistical learning sustainability and impact evaluation 2023 (Ancona)
libro: Seas in 2023. Book of the short papers - (9788891935618)

11573/1688699 - 2023 - Tracing the route. Using stable isotope analysis to understand microplastic pathways through the pelagic-neritic food web of the Tyrrhenian Sea (Western Mediterranean)
Valente, T.; Costantini, M. L.; Careddu, G.; Berto, D.; Piermarini, R.; Rampazzo, F.; Sbrana, A.; Silvestri, C.; Ventura, D.; Matiddi, M. - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (Elsevier BV:PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam Netherlands:011 31 20 4853757, 011 31 20 4853642, 011 31 20 4853641, EMAIL: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.nl, Fax: 011 31 20 4853598 Tokyo ; Oxford ; Lausanne ; New York ; Shannon ; Amsterdam : Elsevier) pp. 1-7 - issn: 0048-9697 - wos: WOS:001024709900001 (5) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85156239058 (3)

11573/1664685 - 2023 - Coastal benthic habitat mapping and monitoring by integrating aerial and water surface low-cost drones
Ventura, Daniele; Grosso, Luca; Pensa, Davide; Casoli, Edoardo; Mancini, Gianluca; Valente, Tommaso; Scardi, Michele; Rakaj, Arnold - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE (ausanne : Frontiers Media S.A., 2014-) pp. 1-15 - issn: 2296-7745 - wos: WOS:000917187900001 (15) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85147145475 (16)

11573/1671776 - 2022 - Random or not? Comparing microplastic ingestion and preys in Scomber colias and Trachurus trachurus
Ciaralli, Laura; Monfardini, Eleonora; Pelamatti, Tania; Piermarini, Raffaella; Silvestri, Cecilia; Sbrana, Alice; Valente, Tommaso; Tomassetti, Paolo; Matiddi, Marco - 04f Poster
congresso: International Conference on microplastic pollution in the Mediterranean Sea (Naples; Italy)
libro: μMED Conference – III edition. Book of Abstracts - ()

11573/1664910 - 2022 - Ask the shark. Blackmouth catshark (Galeus melastomus) as a sentinel of plastic waste on the seabed
Sbrana, Alice; Cau, Alessandro; Cicala, Davide; Franceschini, Simone; Giarrizzo, Tommaso; Gravina, Maria Flavia; Ligas, Alessandro; Maiello, Giulia; Matiddi, Marco; Parisi, Antonio; Sartor, Paolo; Sbrana, Mario; Scacco, Umberto; Valente, Tommaso; Viva, Claudio; Russo, Tommaso - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MARINE BIOLOGY (Springer Verlag Germany:Tiergartenstrasse 17, D 69121 Heidelberg Germany:011 49 6221 3450, EMAIL: g.braun@springer.de, INTERNET: http://www.springer.de, Fax: 011 49 6221 345229) pp. 1-17 - issn: 0025-3162 - wos: WOS:000821905900003 (13) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85133706462 (14)

11573/1657322 - 2022 - From inshore to offshore. Distribution of microplastics in three Italian seawaters
Sbrana, Alice; Valente, Tommaso; Bianchi, Jessica; Franceschini, Simone; Piermarini, Raffaella; Saccomandi, Flavia; De Lucia, Andrea Giuseppe; Camedda, Andrea; Matiddi, Marco; Silvestri, Cecilia - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL (Heidelberg ; Berlin : Springer) pp. 1-11 - issn: 0944-1344 - wos: WOS:000870948100016 (8) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85140293576 (10)

11573/1671701 - 2022 - Don't be corrosive. A novel image analysis method for the validation of microplastic extraction procedures
Valente, Tommaso; Costantini, Maria Letizia; Ventura, Daniele; Pelamatti, Tania; Ciaralli, Laura; Monfardini, Eleonora; Sbrana, Alice; Piermarini, Raffaella; Matiddi, Marco - 04f Poster
congresso: MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano (Online)
libro: MICRO 2022, Online Atlas Edition: Plastic Pollution from MACRO to nano - ()

11573/1657321 - 2022 - One is not enough. Monitoring microplastic ingestion by fish needs a multispecies approach
Valente, Tommaso; Pelamatti, Tania; Avio, Carlo Giacomo; Camedda, Andrea; Costantini, Maria Letizia; De Lucia, Giuseppe Andrea; Jacomini, Carlo; Piermarini, Raffaella; Regoli, Francesco; Sbrana, Alice; Ventura, Daniele; Silvestri, Cecilia; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited London: Macmillan, 1970-) pp. 1-10 - issn: 0025-326X - wos: WOS:000876947900006 (17) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85138183045 (18)

11573/1657320 - 2022 - Image processing tools in the study of environmental contamination by microplastics. Reliability and perspectives
Valente, Tommaso; Ventura, Daniele; Matiddi, Marco; Sbrana, Alice; Silvestri, Cecilia; Piermarini, Raffaella; Jacomini, Carlo; Costantini, Maria Letizia - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL (Heidelberg ; Berlin : Springer) pp. 1-12 - issn: 0944-1344 - wos: WOS:000834592300003 (10) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85135263237 (14)

11573/1619611 - 2021 - Distribution of seafloor litter and its interaction with benthic organisms in deep waters of the Ligurian Sea (Northwestern Mediterranean)
Angiolillo, Michela; Gérigny, Olivia; Valente, Tommaso; Fabri, Marie-Claire; Tambute, Eric; Rouanet, Elodie; Claro, Francoise; Tunesi, Leonardo; Vissio, Anne; Daniel, Boris; Galgani, François - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT (Elsevier BV:PO Box 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam Netherlands:011 31 20 4853757, 011 31 20 4853642, 011 31 20 4853641, EMAIL: nlinfo-f@elsevier.nl, INTERNET: http://www.elsevier.nl, Fax: 011 31 20 4853598 Tokyo ; Oxford ; Lausanne ; New York ; Shannon ; Amsterdam : Elsevier) pp. 1-20 - issn: 0048-9697 - wos: WOS:000662644800008 (38) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85107048249 (42)

11573/1619567 - 2020 - Food preference determines the best suitable digestion protocol for analysing microplastic ingestion by fish
Bianchi, Jessica; Valente, Tommaso; Scacco, Umberto; Cimmaruta, Roberta; Sbrana, Alice; Silvestri, Cecilia; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited London: Macmillan, 1970-) pp. 1-9 - issn: 0025-326X - wos: WOS:000528205900025 (29) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85081277170 (31)

11573/1381546 - 2020 - Spatial variability and influence of biological parameters on microplastic ingestion by Boops boops (L.) along the Italian coasts (Western Mediterranean Sea)
Sbrana, Alice; Valente, Tommaso; Scacco, Umberto; Bianchi, Jessica; Silvestri, Cecilia; Palazzo, Luca; De Lucia, Giuseppe Andrea; Valerani, Claudio; Ardizzone, Domenico; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited) pp. 1-10 - issn: 0269-7491 - wos: WOS:000539426400033 (47) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85082201031 (58)

11573/1619599 - 2020 - Using Boops boops (osteichthyes) to assess microplastic ingestion in the Mediterranean Sea
Tsangaris, Catherine; Digka, Nikoletta; Valente, Tommaso; Aguilar, Alex; Borrell, Asunción; De Lucia, Giuseppe Andrea; Gambaiani, Delphine; Garcia-Garin, Odei; Kaberi, Helen; Martin, Jessica; Mauriño, Elena; Miaud, Claude; Palazzo, Luca; Del Olmo, Ana Pérez; Raga, Juan Antonio; Sbrana, Alice; Silvestri, Cecilia; Skylaki, Ester; Vighi, Morgana; Wongdontree, Paprapach; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN (Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited London: Macmillan, 1970-) pp. 1-11 - issn: 0025-326X - wos: WOS:000555500000037 (42) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85086874816 (49)

11573/1619528 - 2020 - Macro-litter ingestion in deep-water habitats. Is an underestimation occurring?
Valente, Tommaso; Scacco, Umberto; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH (Amsterdam: Elsevier Orlando, FL: Academic Press Incorporated) pp. 1-4 - issn: 0013-9351 - wos: WOS:000548186300085 (13) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85083462134 (13)

11573/1619492 - 2019 - Exploring microplastic ingestion by three deep-water elasmobranch species. A case study from the Tyrrhenian Sea
Valente, Tommaso; Sbrana, Alice; Scacco, Umberto; Jacomini, Carlo; Bianchi, Jessica; Palazzo, Luca; De Lucia, Giuseppe Andrea; Silvestri, Cecilia; Matiddi, Marco - 01a Articolo in rivista
rivista: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (United Kingdom: Elsevier Science Limited) pp. 342-350 - issn: 0269-7491 - wos: WOS:000483406700036 (63) - scopus: 2-s2.0-85068964927 (72)

11573/1671718 - 2018 - A comparison of new and conventional methods for isolating microplastics ingested by fish
Bianchi, Jessica; Valente, Tommaso; Scacco, Umberto; Silvestri, Cecilia; Cimmaruta, Roberta; Matiddi, Marco - 04f Poster
congresso: MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions (Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain)
libro: MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions - ()

11573/1671742 - 2018 - Microplastics ingestion by deep-water catsharks Galeus melastomus and Scyliorhinus canicula (Chondrichthyes) in the Tyrrhenian sea (Western Mediterranean Sea)
Valente, Tommaso; Bianchi, Jessica; Silvestri, Cecilia; Scacco, Umberto; De Lucia, Andrea; Camedda, Andrea; Matiddi, Marco - 04f Poster
congresso: MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions (Arrecife, Lanzarote, Spain)
libro: MICRO 2018. Fate and Impact of Microplastics: Knowledge, Actions and Solutions - ()

11573/1671764 - 2018 - Is the Loggerhead Caretta caretta a good indicator of plastic ingestion also at local scale?
Valente, Tommaso; Camedda, Andrea; Silvestri, Cecilia; Cocumelli, Cristiano; Ruiu, Andrea; Atzori, Fabrizio; Matiddi, Marco; De Lucia, Giuseppe Andrea - 04f Poster
congresso: 6th Mediterranean Conference of Marine Turtles (Poreč; Croatia)
libro: Book of Abstracts, 6th Mediterranean Conference of Marine Turtles, Poreč - Croatia - ()

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