Serino, Emanuela (2025) Dynamics of phytoplankton communities in transitional environments. [Tesi di dottorato]

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Abstract

Transitional environments are shaped by physico chemical and biological gradients, rapid variability, and intense exchanges of energy and matter, making them highly dynamic and ecologically complex systems. Within these natural laboratories such as estuaries, lagoons, glacial margins, and ice–water interfaces interactions between abiotic forcing and biological communities generate emergent properties, non linear trophic structures, and adaptive strategies that reflect strong selective pressures. These environments, historically central to the development of ecological theory, remain key settings for investigating multi scale processes, feedback mechanisms, and the ecological consequences of environmental change. This thesis examines phytoplankton community dynamics across three transitional systems: the sea ice–water interface, coastal areas affected by darkening, and a deltaic lagoon. Phytoplankton are used as synthetic descriptors of trophodynamics and environmental forcing, with the aim of elucidating how variability in physical and chemical conditions shapes community structure, functional traits, and ecological strategies. Through comparative analysis, this work advances our understanding of biological responses in transitional environments and highlights the role of phytoplankton as sensitive indicators of ecosystem change.

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