Alicia Acosta Plant Ecology Lab

Curriculum vitae

Name: Irene
Surname: Prisco
Nationality: Italian
Address: Dipartimento di Biologia Ambientale, Università “Roma Tre”, Viale G. Marconi 446, 00146 Roma, Italia
e-mail: iprisco@uniroma3.it

PhD Student in Biodiversity and Ecosystems Analysis

Research Project: Analyses of the Italian coastal dune plant communities within the Nature 2000 Network.

The project aims to realize a national database on coastal dune vegetation and analyze habitat diversity (sensu 92/43/EEC Directive habitats). These information could be used to develop habitat suitability models and analyze the predicted future distribution of most widespread psammophilous habitats under climate and land use change scenarios. The project plans to evaluate the efficacy of the current protected areas network (Natura 2000) in view of the present and future conservation of coastal habitats.

Academic and professional qualifications

2008 2nd Level Degree in Environmental Biology (Università degli Studi Roma Tre)
Title: Analisi dell’impatto di Carpobrotus spp. e Agave americana sulle fitocenosi dunali costiere del Lazio. (Analysis of Carpobrotus spp. and Agave americana impact on the Lazio coastal dune phytocoenoses)
Brief description: Study of morphological and functional traits of two exotic plant species and their relations with the native ones. Work sampling by the paired-plot method on coastal dune systems of Lazio between Passoscuro and Anzio, and following qualitative-quantitative data processing. Graduation mark: 110 cum laude

2005 1st Level Degree in Biology (Università degli Studi Roma Tre)
Titolo: Valutazione e monitoraggio della biodiversità. (Biodiversity evaluation and monitoring)
Brief description: Effectiveness analysis of different methods for capturing, processing and interpretation of ecological, botanical and zoological data.Graduation mark: 108/110

Field activity

I have been involved in different field activities, in support of thesis research and experimental projects. I am familiar with several type of vegetation sampling: paired-plots, stratified random plots, transepts and phytosociological relevés.

Publications

Journals articles – Books chapters

- Santoro R., Jucker T., Prisco I., Carboni M., Battisti C., Acosta A.T.R. (2012) Effects of trampling limitation on coastal dune plant communities. Environmental Management DOI 10.1007/s00267-012-9809-6.

- Acosta A., Carboni M., Carranza M.L., Izzi C.F., Prisco I., Santoro R., Stanisci A. (2008) Analisi delle specie vegetali esotiche negli ecosistemi sabbiosi costieri: distribuzione e impatto. Le specie alloctone in Italia: censimenti, invasività e piani di azione. Memorie della Società Italiana di Scienze Naturali e del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Milano, Vol. XXXVI – Fascicolo I.

- Acosta A.T.R., Jucker T., Prisco I., Santoro R. (2011) Passive recovery of Mediterranean coastal dunes following limitations to human trampling. In: Martinez M.I., Hesp P., Gallego-Fernandez J.B. Restoration of coastal dunes. Elsevier, Netherlands (In press).

National and international conferences

- Ercole S., Del Vecchio S., Prisco I., Santoro R., Jucker T., Carboni M., Moscatelli F., Acosta A.T.R. (2011) Analisi della distribuzione degli habitat costieri italiani di interesse comunitario all’interno dei SIC. 106° Congresso Nazionale della Società Botanica Italiana (SBI). Genova, 21-23 settembre 2011.

- Prisco I. & Acosta A.T.R. (2011) Towards an Italian sandy coastal vegetation database. 20th Workshop European Vegetation Survey (EVS). Roma, 6-9 aprile 2011.

- Santoro R., Prisco I., Carboni M., Dowgiallo G., Alicia A. (2010) Carpobrotus invasion in Tyrrhenian sandy coastal ecosystems: effects at different levels. XX Congresso della Società Italiana di Ecologia (SITE), Roma, 27-30 settembre 2010.

- Carboni M., Cocciufa C., D’Amen M., Di Domenico F., Donadei F., De Zuliani E., Lerone L., Maura M., Maurizi E., Minganti A., Prisco I., Santoro R., Scassellati E., Lombardozzi V., Zapponi L., Acosta A., Battisti C., Bologna M.A., Caneva G., Cutini M., Lucchese F., Teofili C. (2010) Assessing priority for management strategies: threat analysis in a special area of conservation of central Italy. XX Congresso della Società Italiana di Ecologia (SITE). Roma, 27-30 settembre 2010.

- Santoro R., Carboni M., Del Vecchio S., Prisco I., Acosta A. (2010) Effects of Carpobrotus aff. acinaciformis in Tyrrhenian sandy coasts. 46° Congresso Società Italiana Scienza della Vegetazione (SISV), Pavia, 17-19 Febbraio 2010.

- Santoro R., Carboni M., Prisco I., Acosta A. (2008) Analisi della distribuzione delle piante esotiche in alcuni ecosistemi sabbiosi costieri del Lazio. XVIII Congresso della Società Italiana di Ecologia (SITE), Parma, 1-3 settembre 2008.

Foreign languages

English: Reading: excellent; Writing: good; Speaking: good

French: Basic knowledge

Spanish: Basic knowledge

IT Skills

Competent in current computer OS including Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7; excellent knowledge of the Office Package (Word, Excel, Power Point, Access). Good knowledge of statistical software (R, SPSS, Sintax, EstimateS, EcoSim, Past, PC-ORD) and databases management (Turboveg, ArcView GIS). Good ability in multimedia data processing (images, audio, video).

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