Biology subjects

Corsini, M.

Publications and source records attributed to Corsini, M..

4 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Tracking demographic changes in individual coral colonies through repeated photogrammetric surveys

Understanding the consequences of global change for our ecosystems requires reliable, accurate, and scalable tools for detecting ecological change. To this end, recent efforts have focused on scaling up the quantification of demographic processes from individual organisms (the fundamental ecological unit) to the larger spatial scales they inhabit to yield more precise and informative estimations of ecological change, especially in response to disturbance. Here, we describe a transferable workflow that combines robust underwater photogrammetry techniques with machine-learning-assisted image analysis to quantify demographic changes in coral colonies (growth, stasis, partial mortality, and complete mortality) through time on the reef landscape. We then demonstrate several analytical applications of this workflow that can be broadly applied to sessile and/or clonal organisms in other ecosystems. First, we tracked the fates of 3,162 coral colonies through a marine heatwave that caused substantial mortality. Second, our approach enabled detection of size- and taxon-dependent patterns in demographic changes from before to after the heatwave. Finally, for a subset (425) of these colonies, we further demonstrated how our method can be used to track fates across multiple years, including a year of change before and after the heatwave took place, revealing nuanced patterns of survival and mortality, as well as changes in size structure that occurred before and after the disturbance. Our workflow offers an important advance for increasing the accuracy of change detection on coral reefs and other ecosystems by linking demographic changes in individual organisms with spatially extensive image-based surveys through time.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2025

Bird colours in urban mosaics: a study of two passerines

O_LIUrban environments are characterized by markedly altered conditions, which can exert a negative impact on the organisms that inhabit them. Among phenotypic traits most sensitive to urbanization is the colourful plumage of birds. C_LIO_LIOne of the best studied examples might be the urban dullness phenomenon, described for carotenoid-based traits, referring to colours being subdued in urban areas. In contrast, melanin-based and structural colouration are still understudied in the context of urbanization. Moreover, much research focused on changes in mean trait expression, while the effect on phenotypic variation, vital from an eco-evolutionary perspective, was rarely studied in this context. C_LIO_LIHere, we examined urbanization-driven differences in expression and phenotypic variation of carotenoid-based, melanin-based and structural colours of two urban adapters, the great tit (Parus major) and the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus). Importantly, birds were sampled across multiple urban and suburban habitats, and replicated in eight Polish cities, located in the under-studied Central and Eastern European region. C_LIO_LIWe found a consistent decrease in mean carotenoid chroma of great tit breast plumage in more heavily urbanized habitats. This trait was also characterized by higher urban phenotypic variation, which could stem from greater environmental heterogeneity in cities. In blue tits, we observed reduced brightness of breast feathers in urban city centres, and an increased brightness of blue tail feathers in more urbanized habitats. C_LIO_LIOur study sheds light on the complex pattern of colour trait sensitivity to urbanization and emphasizes the need for examining a wider range of species to gain greater insight into the eco-evolutionary processes acting in urban ecosystems. C_LI

ecology↗

bioRxiv2023

Machine learning identifies phenotypic profile alterations of human dopaminergic neurons exposed to bisphenols and perfluoroalkyls

Parkinsons disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease and is characterized by the loss of midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are active substances that interfere with hormonal signaling. Among EDs, bisphenols (BPs) and perfluoroalkyls (PFs) are chemicals leached from plastics and other household products, and humans are unavoidably exposed to these xenobiotics. Data from animal studies suggest that ED exposure may play a role in PD, but data about the effect of BPs and PFs on human models of the nervous system are lacking. Previous studies demonstrated that machine learning (ML) applied to microscopy data can classify different cell phenotypes based on image features. In this study, the effect of BPs and PFs at different concentrations within the real-life exposure range (0.01, 0.1, 1, and 2 M) on the phenotypic profile of human stem cell-derived midbrain dopaminergic neurons (mDANs) was analyzed. Cells exposed for 72 hours to the xenobiotics were stained with neuronal markers and evaluated using high content microscopy yielding 126 different phenotypic features. Two different ML models (XGBoost and LightGBM) were trained to classify ED-treated versus control mDANs. ED-treated mDANs were identified with high accuracy (0.92). Assessment of the phenotypic feature contribution to the classification showed that EDs induced a significant increase of alpha-synuclein (Syn) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) staining intensity within the neurons. Moreover, microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) neurite length and branching were significantly diminished in treated neurons. Our study shows that human mDANs are adversely impacted by exposure to EDs, causing their phenotype to shift and exhibit more characteristics of PD. Importantly, ML-supported high-content imaging can identify concrete but subtle subcellular phenotypic changes that can be easily overlooked by visual inspection alone and that define EDs effects in mDANs, thus enabling further pathological characterization in the future.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2021

Alterations to the Gut Microbiota of a Wild Juvenile Passerine in an Urban Mosaic

Urbanisation is a major anthropogenic perturbation that progressively alters multiple environmental parameters, thereby presenting novel evolutionary challenges to wild populations. Symbiotic microorganisms residing in the gastrointestinal tracts (gut) of vertebrates have well-established mutual connections with the physiology of their hosts and respond quickly to environmental alterations. However, the impacts of anthropogenic changes and urbanisation on gut microbiota remain poorly understood, especially in early development. To address this knowledge gap, we investigated the gut microbiota in juvenile great tits (Parus major) in an urban mosaic. First, we compared the microbiota of nestlings reared in artificial nest boxes or natural cavities. Next, we analysed microbiota variations employing two distinct urbanisation frameworks, (i) the classical urban/rural dichotomy and (ii) gradual changes in the amount of impervious surface area (ISA) in the urban space and identified the environmental variables that predicted the changes in the microbial communities. Alpha diversity was influenced by cavity type and by the amount of impervious surface surrounding the breeding location. Alpha diversity was also positively correlated with the tree cover density. Beta diversity differed between urban and rural sites, and these alterations covaried with sound pollution, the distance to the city centre and the distance to the closest road. Overall, the microbial communities reflect and are possibly influenced by the heterogeneous environmental modifications that are typical of the urban space. Strikingly, the choice of framework used to define the urban space can influence the outcomes of studies investigating animal-microbe symbiosis. Our results open new perspectives from which the potential function of microbial symbionts in the adaptation of their hosts to anthropogenic stress can be investigated.

ecology↗