Francesco Paolo Mancuso

Researcher

I am a marine botanist with expertise in marine biology and ecology. My research focuses on various aspects of seaweed forests and seagrass meadows, including spatial distribution, interactions with non-native species, and the effects of structural complexity on associated biodiversity (e.g., macrofauna and microbiome). I am particularly interested in determining the factors that shape the distribution and physiological response of seaweeds and seagrasses, at both the individual and community levels, in response to environmental factors and anthropogenic stressors under changing scenarios influenced by climate change. Furthermore, I am fascinated by the development of innovative technologies to monitor both environmental variables and functional traits of species in marine environments. Through the design of both laboratory and field experiments, I am interested in improving the understanding of metabolic responses of species to changing environmental conditions. This is intended to facilitate the creation of tools for the conservation of marine habitats and their associated biodiversity.
Keywords: foundation species, biodiversity, functional traits, tolerance thresholds, innovative technologies.

Publications

DATAReferencePDFAutore
2025Marsiglia, N., Bosch-Belmar, M., Mancuso, F. P., & Sarà, G. (2025). Epibionts and Epiphytes in Seagrass Habitats: A Global Analysis of Their Ecological Roles. Sci, 7(2), 62.DownloadSarà G., Bosch-Belmar M., Marsiglia N., Mancuso P.
2025Bosch-Belmar M., Mancuso, F.P., Tantillo, M., Russi, M., Piermattei, V., Piazzolla, D., Madonia, A., Marcelli, M. and Sarà, G. (2025). Metabolic traits and thresholds to inform marine ecological conservation and restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology 00:1-14.DownloadSarà G., Bosch-Belmar M., Mancuso P., Russi M.
2024Mancuso, F.P., Sarà, G., Mannino, A.M. (2024). Diversity and Distribution of Intertidal Cystoseira sensu lato Species Across Protection Zones in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area. Plants 13 (24), 3562DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2024Schubert, N., Tuya, F., Peña, V., Horta, P.A., Salazar, V.W., Neves, P., Ribeiro, C., Otero-Ferrer, F., Espino, F., Schoenrock, K., Ragazzola, F., Olivé, I., Giaccone, T., Nannini, M., Mangano, M.C., Sará, G., Mancuso, F.P., Tantillo, M.F., Bosch-Belmar, M., Martin, S., Le Gall, L., Santos, R., Silva, J. (2024). “Pink power”—the importance of coralline algal beds in the oceanic carbon cycle. Nature Communications 15 (1), 8282.DownloadSarà G., Bosch-Belmar M., Tantillo M. F., Mancuso P., Mangano M. C.
2024Piazzolla, D., Scanu, S., Mancuso, F.P., Bosch-Belmar, M., Bonamano, S., Madonia, A., Scagnoli, E., Tantillo, M.F., Russi, M., Savini, A., Fersini, G., Sarà, G., Coppini, G., Marcelli, M., Piermattei, V. (2024). An integrated approach for the benthic habitat mapping based on innovative surveying technologies and ecosystem functioning measurements. Scientific Reports 14 (1), 5888DownloadSarà G., Bosch-Belmar M., Tantillo M. F., Mancuso P., Russi M.
2024Gjoni, V., Marchessaux, G., Glazier, D. S., Wesner, J. S., Bosch-Belmar, M., Mancuso, F. P., Tantillo, M. F., Marsiglia, N. & Sarà, G. (2024). Metabolic scaling of an invasive mussel depends on temperature and chemical cues from an invasive predator. Biology Letters, 20(6), 20240066.DownloadSarà G., Bosch-Belmar M., Tantillo M. F., Marsiglia N., Mancuso P.
2024Mancuso, F. P., Sarà, G., & Mannino, A. M. (2024). Conserving Marine Forests: Assessing the Effectiveness of a Marine Protected Area for Cystoseira Sensu Lato Populations in the Central Mediterranean Sea. Plants 2024, 13(2), 162;.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2023Ragkousis, M., Zenetos, A., Souissi, J. B., Hoffman, R., Ghanem, R., Taşkın, E., ... & Kousteni, V. (2023). Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species.DownloadMancuso P.
2023Mannino, A. M., Balistreri, P., Mancuso, F. P., Bozzeda, F., & Pinna, M. (2023). Searching for the competitive ability of the alien seagrass Halophila stipulacea with the autochthonous species Cymodocea nodosa. NeoBiota, 83, 155-177.DownloadMancuso P.
2023Mirabile, G., Ferraro, V., Mancuso, F. P., Pecoraro, L., & Cirlincione, F. (2023). Biodiversity of Fungi in Freshwater Ecosystems of Italy. Journal of Fungi, 9(10), 993.DownloadMancuso P.
2023Mancuso F. P., Chemello R., & Mannino A. M. (2023). The Effects of Non-Indigenous Macrophytes on Native Biodiversity: Case Studies from Sicily. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 11(7), 1389.DownloadMancuso P.
2023Mancuso F.P., Bernardeau-Esteller J., Spinelli M., Sarà G., Ruiz J.M., Calvo S. & Tomasello, A. 2023. Life on the edge: Adaptations of Posidonia oceanica to hypersaline conditions in a Mediterranean lagoon system. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 210, 105320.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2023Mancuso F.P., Giommi C., Mangano M. C., Airoldi L., Helmuth B., & Sarà G. 2023. Evenness, biodiversity, and ecosystem function of intertidal communities along the Italian coasts: Experimental short-term response to ambient and extreme air temperatures. Science of The Total Environment, 858, 160037.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P., Mangano M. C.
2023Mancuso F. P., Lo Brutto S., Chemello R., Sarà G., & Mannino A.M. 2023. Effects of structural complexity on epifaunal assemblages associated with two intertidal Mediterranean seaweeds. Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology, 1-9.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2023Mancuso F.P., Milazzo M., Sarà G. & Chemello R. 2023. Bi-and three-dimensional fractal analysis of the brown seaweed Gongolaria montagnei and their relationship with gastropod molluscs assemblage. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 186, 114396.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2023Mancuso F.P., Giommi C., Mangano M.C., Airoldi L., Helmuth B., Sarà G. 2023. Evenness, biodiversity, and ecosystem function of intertidal communities along the Italian coasts: Experimental short-term response to ambient and extreme air temperatures. Science of the Total Environment, 858 : 160037.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P., Mangano M. C.
2022Timoncini A., Costantini F., Bernardi E., Martini C., Mugnai F., Mancuso F.P., Sassoni E., Ospitali F., Chiavari C. 2022. Insight on bacteria communities in outdoor bronze and marble artefacts in a changing environment. Science of the Total Environment, 850: 157804.DownloadMancuso P.
2022Mancuso F.P., D'Agostaro R., Milazzo M., Badalamenti F., Musco L., Mikac B., Lo Brutto S., Chemello R. 2022. The invasive seaweed Asparagopsis taxiformis erodes the habitat structure and biodiversity of native algal forests in the Mediterranean Sea. Marine Environmental Research, 173: 105515.DownloadMancuso P.
2021Mancuso F.P., D'Agostaro R., Milazzo M., Chemello R. 2021. The invasive Asparagopsis taxiformis hosts a low diverse and less trophic structured molluscan assemblage compared with the native Ericaria brachycarpa. Marine Environmental Research, 166: 105279.DownloadMancuso P.
2021Mancuso F.P., Milazzo M., Chemello R. 2021. Decreasing in patch-size of Cystoseira forests reduces the diversity of their associated molluscan assemblage in Mediterranean rocky reefs. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 250: 107163.DownloadMancuso P.
2019Strain E.M.A., Steinberg P.D., Vozzo M., Johnston E.L., Abbiati M., Aguilera M.A., Airoldi L., Aguirre J.D., Ashton G., Bernardi M., Brooks P., Chan B.K.K., Cheah C.B., Chee S.Y., Coutinho R., Crowe T., Davey A., Firth L.B., Fraser C., Hanley M.E., Hawkins S.J., Knick K.E., Lau E.T.C., Leung K.M.Y., McKenzie C., Macleod C., Mafanya S., Mancuso F.P., Messano L.V.R., Naval-Xavier L.P.D., Ng T.P.T., O'Shaughnessy K.A., Pattrick P., Perkins M.J., Perkol-Finkel S., Porri F., Ross D.J., Ruiz G., Sella I., Seitz R., Shirazi R., Thiel M., Thompson R.C., Yee J.C., Zabin C., Bishop M.J. 2021. A global analysis of complexity–biodiversity relationships on marine artificial structures. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 30(1): 140-153.DownloadMancuso P.
2019Bevilacqua S., Savonitto G., Lipizer M., Mancuso P., Ciriaco S., Srijemsi M., Falace A. 2019. Climatic anomalies may create a long-lasting ecological phase shift by altering the reproduction of a foundation species. Ecology, 100(12): e02838.DownloadMancuso P.
2019Strain E.M.A., Alexander K.A., Kienker S., Morris R., Jarvis R., Coleman R., Bollard B., Firth L.B., Knights A.M., Grabowski J.H., Airoldi L., Chan B.K.K., Chee S.Y., Cheng Z., Coutinho R., de Menezes R.G., Ding M., Dong Y., Fraser C.M.L., Gómez A.G., Juanes J.A., Mancuso P., Messano L.V.R., Naval-Xavier L.P.D., Scyphers S., Steinberg P., Swearer S., Valdor P.F., Wong J.X.Y., Yee J., Bishop M.J. 2019. Urban blue: A global analysis of the factors shaping people's perceptions of the marine environment and ecological engineering in harbours. Science of the Total Environment, 658: 1293-1305.DownloadMancuso P.
2019Mancuso F.P., Messina C.M., Santulli A., Laudicella V.A., Giommi C., Sarà G., Airoldi L. 2019. Influence of ambient temperature on the photosynthetic activity and phenolic content of the intertidal Cystoseira compressa along the Italian coastline. Journal of Applied Phycology, 31(5): 3069-3076.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2018Mancuso F.P., Strain E.M.A., Piccioni E., De Clerck O., Sarà G., Airoldi L. 2018. Status of vulnerable Cystoseira populations along the Italian infralittoral fringe, and relationships with environmental and anthropogenic variables. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 129(2): 762-771.DownloadSarà G., Mancuso P.
2017Steen F., Aragay J., Zuljevic A., Verbruggen H., Mancuso F.P., Bunker F., Vitales D., Gómez Garreta A., De Clerck O. 2017. Tracing the introduction history of the brown seaweed Dictyota cyanoloma (Phaeophyceae, Dictyotales) in Europe. European Journal of Phycology, 52(1): 31-42.DownloadMancuso P.
2017Lo Valvo M., Russo R., Mancuso F.P., Palla F. 2017. Mtdna diversity in a rabbit population from sicily (Italy). Turkish Journal of Zoology, 41(4): 645-653.DownloadMancuso P.
2016Mancuso F.P., D'Hondt S., Willems A., Airoldi L., De Clerck O. 2016. Diversity and temporal dynamics of the epiphytic bacterial communities associated with the canopy-forming seaweed Cystoseira compressa (Esper) Gerloff and Nizamuddin. Frontiers in Microbiology, 7: 476.DownloadMancuso P.
2014Strain E.M.A., Thomson R.J., Micheli F., Mancuso F.P., Airoldi L. 2014. Identifying the interacting roles of stressors in driving the global loss of canopy-forming to mat-forming algae in marine ecosystems. Global Change Biology, 20(11): 3300-3312.DownloadMancuso P.
2014Harvey B.P., Al-Janabi B., Broszeit S., Cioffi R., Kumar A., Aranguren-Gassis M., Bailey A., Green L., Gsottbauer C.M., Hall E.F., Lechler M., Mancuso F.P., Pereira C.O., Ricevuto E., Schram J.B., Stapp L.S., Stenberg S., Santa Rosa L.T. 2014. Evolution of marine organisms under climate change at different levels of biological organisation. Water (Switzerland), 6(11): 3545-3574.DownloadMancuso P.
2013Palla F., Mancuso F.P., Billeci N. 2013. Multiple approaches to identify bacteria in archaeological waterlogged wood. Journal of Cultural Heritage, 14: e61-e64.DownloadMancuso P.
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