Maria Gabriella Marin is Associate Professor of Ecology. After a fellowship obtained in 1978 at the Hydrobiological Station of Chioggia (University of Padova), in 1981 she became a researcher at the Department of Biology. From 1994, she has been teaching ecological disciplines (currently Marine Ecology and Marine Ecotoxicology) for undergraduate and graduate levels in Biological Sciences, Natural Sciences, Biology and Marine Biology. From 2004, she is a member of the School Board of the PhD Course in Biosciences (curriculum Evolution, Ecology and Conservation). From 2012, she is course coordinator for the Master’s Degree in Marine Biology. She has supervised many undergraduate and graduate students and several PhD students. Her main research interests are in the field of ecology, ecophysiology and ecotoxicology of marine benthic invertebrates. Presently, her research is mainly focused on the assessment of impacts of seawater acidification alone and in combination with other anthropogenic stressors, emerging contaminants in particular, in bivalves and echinoderms. Parental responses and offspring performances are investigated to shed light on the presence of phenotypic plasticity and transgenerational effects. She has been involved in many research programmes mostly concerning the evaluation of the effects of pollutants and other environmental stressors; she was coordinator (as a partner) in three EU projects aimed at evaluating the impacts of fishing and climate changes on bivalve species. Her research activity is documented by more than 120 publications, more than 90 on international ISI journals. She acted as a reviewer for many international scientific journal and some national and international projects. She is a member of the Italian Society of Marine Biology (SIBM) and the European Society for Comparative Physiology and Biochemistry (ESCPB).

L’attività di ricerca riguarda principalmente lo studio degli effetti combinati di parametri ambientali (temperatura, salinità e pH dell’acqua di mare) di particolare rilievo in uno scenario di cambiamento climatico e dell’esposizione a contaminanti emergenti (farmaci e nanoparticelle) in alcune specie di invertebrati marini, soprattutto bivalvi e ricci di mare. Attraverso un approccio sperimentale improntato alla valutazione di più agenti stressogeni in esposizioni a breve, medio e lungo termine, vengono presi in considerazione diversi stadi vitali degli organismi studiati, dai gameti agli adulti, indagando molteplici risposte cellulari, biochimiche e fisiologiche. Particolare attenzione viene data alla valutazione di processi e caratteristiche che fanno riferimento alla riproduzione (sviluppo gonadico, qualità dei gameti e loro interazione, performance di embrioni e larve) e sono pertanto essenziali per il mantenimento delle popolazioni naturali.

For the three-year degree Thesis projects on marine biology topics to be defined with the tutor For the Master’s degree The proposed research work concerns the evaluation of effects of i) environmental parameters , such as temperature, salinity and pH, as predicted under climate change scenarios, and ii) emerging contaminants, such as pharmaceuticals and biocides, in marine invertebrates, mostly bivalves and sea urchins. Cellular, biochemical and physiological responses are assessed in different life stages of the animals, from gametes to adults. Particular attention is given to the evaluation of processes and features that refer to reproduction (gonadal development, quality of gametes and their interaction, performances of embryos and larvae). Most of the experimental activity is carried out at the Hydrobiological Station in Chioggia.