Giulia Albani Rocchetti

@uniroma3.it

Science department
Roma Tre University

https://researchid.co/giuliaalbanirocchetti

EDUCATION

PhD in Molecular, Cellular and Environmental Biology (with honours)
“The role of old seed collections on plant de-extinction and quasi in-situ reintroduction approaches”, tutor: Prof. Abeli T. (Roma Tre University); Co-tutor: Prof. Caneva G. (Roma Tre University), Davis C. (Harvard University).
Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Roma (RM) - Italy

Master’s degree in Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management (with honours)
“Vegetational and floristic aspects of forest cenosis in the area of antica Lavinium (Pratica di mare, Pomezia) for the historical-naturalistic promotion of the area”, tutor: Prof. Caneva G.; Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Roma (RM) - Italy

Bachelor’s Degree in Life Sciences
“Pheromones in sexuality: role in human and non-human animals”, tutor: Prof. Carosi M.; Department of Science, Roma Tre University, Roma (RM) – Italy

RESEARCH, TEACHING, or OTHER INTERESTS

Plant Science, Nature and Landscape Conservation, Ecology, Environmental Science

Scopus Publications

206

Scholar Citations

Scholar h-index

Scholar i10-index

Scopus Publications

Vascular Plant Extinction in Macaronesia: Biogeographical and Biological Drivers of Loss
Giulia Albani Rocchetti
Wiley

Qualitative vs. quantitative morphology of seeds of an Italian critically endangered Hawkweed as predictor of germination capacity
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Laura Gargiulo, Antonio Gaetano Napolitano, Simone Orsenigo, Giacomo Mele, and Thomas Abeli
Informa UK Limited

Plant biodiversity and its meaning at the origin of the peopled scrolls friezes: data from the Castrum Minervae sanctuary (Castro- Lecce, Italy)
Giulia Caneva, Alessandro Lazzara, Giulia Albani Rocchetti, and Francesco D’Andria
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Testing seed germination from herbaria: Application of seed quality enhancement techniques and implication for plant resurrection and conservation
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Lisa Brancaleoni, Giulia Caneva, Alessandra Cona, Giuseppe Fabrini, Ilaria Fraudentali, Gabriele Galasso, Sandrine Godefroid, Mauro Iberite, Lorenzo Lastrucci,et al.
Wiley
AbstractHerbaria are an important source of data and material useful in many fields, including plant conservation. Seeds preserved in herbarium specimens may have the potential to germinate, although few studies focused on this topic. Here, the first systematic assessment of six techniques, including priming techniques and melatonin application, aimed at improving the germination of seeds from herbarium specimens is presented. Seed germination of 26 species common in Europe, some of which congeneric to extinct species, collected in herbaria and in the wild (20,549 seeds in total, including 19,509 from 297 herbarium specimens from 8 different herbaria) was tested with the following treatments: exogenous melatonin addition to the germination medium, priming with melatonin, osmopriming, hydropriming for 24 and 48 hours, standard soil, heat sterilization and gibberellins addition. More than 85% of the fresh seeds and 1% of the seeds collected in herbaria germinated, including seeds older than 50 years. Data show that treatment with exogenous melatonin had a positive effect on the germination of fresh seeds, but a negative effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Furthermore, osmopriming treatment had a slightly positive effect on the germination of herbarium‐derived seeds. Osmopriming and exogenous melatonin addition seem to be promising techniques that need further investigation and improvement and might be useful for the development of an optimal germination protocol for old and herbarium‐derived seeds. The germination of seeds from herbaria could be an important tool in plant conservation, with the aim of reversing the extinction trend of many species through de‐extinction, safeguarding biodiversity, and genetic variability. This study provides preliminary data for the development of germination protocols, especially for old seeds of species of conservation interest, to maximise the chance of recovering lost genetic diversity and leading to the first de‐extinction ever.

Understanding the Lost: Reconstruction of the Garden Design of Villa Peretti Montalto (Rome, Italy) for Urban Valorization
Flavia Bartoli, Luca D’Amato, Arianna Nucera, Giulia Albani Rocchetti, and Giulia Caneva
MDPI AG
Urbanization and urban regeneration can significantly impact cultural heritage, but a greater knowledge of the past natural and historical features is needed to value the past and understand the present. The lost Villa Peretti Montalto in Rome, once located in the area that corresponds to the current front side of Termini station, deserves great attention due to its cultural value. This work aimed to provide a floristic and functional reconstruction of the gardens of the villa during the XVI and XVII Centuries. From several bibliographic and iconographic sources, a critical analysis and interpretation of plant names was conducted. A list of 87 species and their location in the different garden sectors, during different periods with their specific uses, is provided. The arboreal design was made by classical species in the Roman context, like Cupressus sempervirens, Pinus pinea, Quercus ilex, and Ulmus glabra. In addition, ancient lost varieties of fruit trees (mainly Pyrus communis and Ficus carica) and several species of conservation interest were found. The knowledge of the ancient flora in historical gardens could be a key tool in urban greenery planning and touristic and cultural valorization.

The role of aftercare in plant translocation
Anna Corli, Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Simone Orsenigo, Jennifer Possley, and Thomas Abeli
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
AbstractPlant translocation can increase the chances of long-term survival of threatened plant species; nevertheless, can be costly and challenging, with unknowns in the pre- and post-release phases, limiting success. Methodological advances have been made in the pre-release phase but long-term monitoring and post-release site management (i.e., “aftercare”) are not always applied and almost neglected in the literature despite being frequently effective for identifying and mitigating unexpected threats (e.g., interspecific competition, herbivory) to outplant survival.Aiming to fill this gap, we reviewed published and gray literature on 296 translocations to shed light on the importance of aftercare on translocation outcome. We identified the most common aftercare techniques, then we performed a meta-analysis on a subset of studies that were specifically designed to test the effect of aftercare against a control (i.e., no aftercare).The most common aftercare techniques were competition reduction, water irrigation and plant protection. Aftercare significantly increased the percentage of survival of plants when herbivory reduction and other understorey species were enhanced. Aftercare reported also a positive trend toward improved qualitative outcome when plants were protected or competition was mitigated. Nevertheless, more evidence is needed on the importance and effectiveness of aftercare techniques.Long-term monitoring and post-release site management should be the post-translocation standard in plant translocations when ethical and possible, with plant protection, competition limitation and water irrigation being applied when needed to reduce transplant mortality. To provide statistically supported data on the effect of aftercare on translocation outcome, aftercare should be tested against a control when feasible.

Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Angelino Carta, Andrea Mondoni, Sandrine Godefroid, Charles C. Davis, Giulia Caneva, Matthew A. Albrecht, Karla Alvarado, Roxali Bijmoer, Renata Borosova,et al.
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

Out-of-date datasets hamper conservation of species close to extinction
Thomas Abeli, Suzanne Sharrock, and Giulia Albani Rocchetti
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

A pragmatic and prudent consensus on the resurrection of extinct plant species using herbarium specimens
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Charles Davis, Giulia Caneva, Gianluigi Bacchetta, Giuseppe Fabrini, Giuseppe Fenu, Bruno Foggi, Gabriele Galasso, Domenico Gargano, Gianpietro Giusso del Galdo,et al.
Wiley
AbstractHerbaria may represent remarkable sources of viable diaspores for recovering lost genetic variation and extinct plant species, but the application of rewilding extinct species using these collections has not been explored in detail. De‐extinction in plants may be achieved by germinating viable diaspores or culturing tissues preserved in herbarium specimens. Germination of old diaspores (fruits, seeds, spores) preserved in sub‐optimal uncontrolled storage conditions demonstrates that the recovery of extinct plants from herbarium specimens may be possible. Plant de‐extinction via herbarium specimens relies on the availability of samples containing viable diaspores, and on the inclination of curators and the conservation community to use such material for this purpose. We developed an internet‐based survey to assess (i) whether the scientific community would consent to the use of herbarium specimens of extinct species to attempt de‐extinction, and (ii) the limitations of removing diaspores from specimens. Despite the risk of potential damages to valuable specimens from historical collections when harvesting diaspores, a consensus for using specimens of extinct plant species emerged. Most respondents would permit the collection of a low number of diaspores, preferably from duplicate specimens and only if the integrity of the specimen is preserved. These considerations would be more restrictive for type specimens and those of historical value. These results help to formalise a decision framework for the grant and use of material from natural history collections and a pragmatic approach to attempt to resurrect extinct species from herbarium specimens.

Conservation Status and Activities of the Threatened Endemic Quillwort Isoëtes malinverniana
Giulia Albani Rocchetti and Thomas Abeli
Elsevier

Linking man and nature: Relictual forest coenosis with laurus nobilis l. and celtis australis l. in antica lavinium, Italy
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Flavia Bartoli, Emanuela Cicinelli, Fernando Lucchese, and Giulia Caneva
MDPI AG
The Mediterranean basin has been a refugium for relict plant taxa and native laurophyllic forests. The Latium coasts and, especially, the Antica Lavinium site, host relict forest communities, whose natural importance is enriched by their cultural value. Here, we aim at investigating the ecological framework, cultural and historical values, and management over time, of relict communities that have Laurus nobilis and Celtis australis as their priority habitats. To achieve this, we performed vegetation surveys and we conducted statistical analyses (PCA, NMDS). Among the 45 vegetation surveys, 25 were characterized by the two target species. The PCA analysis highlighted how the L. nobilis formations and the mixed formations with C. australis present some differences but are not sufficient to describe different coenosis. The comparison among similar forests in central and southern Italy confirmed the wide coenological amplitude of L. nobilis with respect to other laurophyllic species. Antica Lavinium has an overall good preservation of laurel forest formations, but also of mixed formation with C. australis. In the area, historical, cultural, and natural characteristics mutually contributed to the development of human civilizations and plant communities, highlighting their deep linkage.

Reversing extinction trends: new uses of (old) herbarium specimens to accelerate conservation action on threatened species
Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Chelsey Geralda Armstrong, Thomas Abeli, Simone Orsenigo, Caroline Jasper, Simon Joly, Anne Bruneau, Maria Zytaruk, and Jana C. Vamosi
Wiley
SummaryAlthough often not collected specifically for the purposes of conservation, herbarium specimens offer sufficient information to reconstruct parameters that are needed to designate a species as ‘at‐risk’ of extinction. While such designations should prompt quick and efficient legal action towards species recovery, such action often lags far behind and is mired in bureaucratic procedure. The increase in online digitization of natural history collections has now led to a surge in the number new studies on the uses of machine learning. These repositories of species occurrences are now equipped with advances that allow for the identification of rare species. The increase in attention devoted to estimating the scope and severity of the threats that lead to the decline of such species will increase our ability to mitigate these threats and reverse the declines, overcoming a current barrier to the recovery of many threatened plant species. Thus far, collected specimens have been used to fill gaps in systematics, range extent, and past genetic diversity. We find that they also offer material with which it is possible to foster species recovery, ecosystem restoration, and de‐extinction, and these elements should be used in conjunction with machine learning and citizen science initiatives to mobilize as large a force as possible to counter current extinction trends.

Seventeen ‘extinct’ plant species back to conservation attention in Europe
Thomas Abeli, Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Zoltan Barina, Ioannis Bazos, David Draper, Patrick Grillas, José María Iriondo, Emilio Laguna, Juan Carlos Moreno-Saiz, and Fabrizio Bartolucci
Springer Science and Business Media LLC

IDPlanT: the Italian database of plant translocation
Thomas Abeli, Martina D’Agostino, Simone Orsenigo, Fabrizio Bartolucci, Rita Accogli, Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Claudia Alessandrelli, Arianna Amadori, Filippo Amato, Claudia Angiolini,et al.
Informa UK Limited
Abstract IDPlanT is the Italian Database of Plant Translocation, an initiative of the Nature Conservation Working Group of the Italian Botanical Society. IDPlanT currently includes 185 plant translocations. The establishment of a national database on plant translocation is a key step forward in data sharing and techniques improvement in this field of plant conservation. Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/11263504.2021.1985004 .

Shedding light on typical species: Implications for habitat monitoring
Gianmaria Bonari, Edy Fantinato, Lorenzo Lazzaro, Marta Gaia Sperandii, Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta, Marina Allegrezza, Silvia Assini, Marco Caccianiga, Valter Di Cecco, Annarita Frattaroli,et al.
Pensoft Publishers
Habitat monitoring in Europe is regulated by Article 17 of the Habitats Directive, which suggests the use of typical species to habitat conservation status. Yet, the Directive uses the term “typical” species but does not provide a definition, either for its use in reporting or for its use in impact assessments. To address the issue, an online workshop was organized by the Italian Society for Vegetation Science (SISV) to shed light on the diversity of perspectives regarding the different concepts of typical species, and to discuss the possible implications for habitat monitoring. To this aim, we inquired 73 people with a very different degree of expertise in the field of vegetation science by means of a tailored survey composed of six questions. We analysed the data using Pearson's Chi-squared test to verify that the answers diverged from a random distribution and checked the effect of the degree of experience of the surveyees on the results. We found that most of the surveyees agreed on the use of the phytosociological method for habitat monitoring and of the diagnostic and characteristic species to evaluate the structural and functional conservation status of habitats. With this contribution, we shed light on the meaning of “typical” species in the context of habitat monitoring.

RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Vascular Plant Extinction in Macaronesia: Biogeographical and Biological Drivers of Loss
GA Rocchetti
Global change biology 31 (3), e70128 2025

Qualitative vs. quantitative morphology of seeds of an Italian critically endangered Hawkweed as predictor of germination capacity
G Albani Rocchetti, L Gargiulo, AG Napolitano, S Orsenigo, G Mele, ...
Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant 2025

Plant biodiversity and its meaning at the origin of the peopled scrolls friezes: data from the Castrum Minervae sanctuary (Castro- Lecce, Italy)
G Caneva, A Lazzara, G Albani Rocchetti, F D’Andria
Rendiconti Lincei. Scienze Fisiche e Naturali, 1-17 2024

Testing seed germination from herbaria: Application of seed quality enhancement techniques and implication for plant resurrection and conservation
G Albani Rocchetti, L Brancaleoni, G Caneva, A Cona, G Fabrini, ...
Taxon 73 (3), 854-867 2024

Understanding the Lost: Reconstruction of the Garden Design of Villa Peretti Montalto (Rome, Italy) for Urban Valorization
F Bartoli, L D’Amato, A Nucera, G Albani Rocchetti, G Caneva
Plants 13 (1), 77 2023

The role of aftercare in plant translocation
A Corli, GA Rocchetti, S Orsenigo, J Possley, T Abeli
Biodiversity and Conservation 32 (13), 4181-4197 2023

Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria
G Albani Rocchetti, A Carta, A Mondoni, S Godefroid, CC Davis, ...
Nature Plants 8 (12), 1385-1393 2022

Out-of-date datasets hamper conservation of species close to extinction
T Abeli, S Sharrock, G Albani Rocchetti
Nature Plants 8 (12), 1370-1373 2022

Linking man and nature: relictual forest coenosis with Laurus nobilis L. and Celtis australis L. in Antica lavinium, Italy.
GA Rocchetti, F Bartoli, E Cicinelli, F Lucchese, G Caneva
2022

A pragmatic and prudent consensus on the resurrection of extinct plant species using herbarium specimens
G Albani Rocchetti, C Davis, G Caneva, G Bacchetta, G Fabrini, G Fenu, ...
Taxon 71 (1), 168-177 2022

Conservation Status and Activities of the Threatened Endemic Quillwort Isotes malinverniana
GA Rocchetti, T Abeli
Elsevier 2022

Linking Man and Nature: Relictual Forest Coenosis with Laurus nobilis L. and Celtis australis L. in Antica Lavinium, Italy
G Albani Rocchetti, F Bartoli, E Cicinelli, F Lucchese, G Caneva
Sustainability 14 (1), 56 2021

A pragmatic and prudent consensus on the resurrection of extinct plant species using herbarium specimens
GA Rocchetti, C Davis, G Caneva, G Bacchetta, G Fabrini, G Fenu, ...
Taxon 71, 168-177 2021

IDPlanT: the Italian database of plant translocation
T Abeli, M D’Agostino, S Orsenigo, F Bartolucci, R Accogli, ...
Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant 2021

Shedding light on typical species: implications for habitat monitoring
G Bonari, E Fantinato, L Lazzaro, MG Sperandii, ATR Acosta, ...
Plant Sociology 58 (1), 157-166 2021

Reversing extinction trends: new uses of (old) herbarium specimens to accelerate conservation action on threatened species
G Albani Rocchetti, CG Armstrong, T Abeli, S Orsenigo, C Jasper, S Joly, ...
New Phytologist 230 (2), 433-450 2021

Seventeen ‘extinct’plant species back to conservation attention in Europe
T Abeli, G Albani Rocchetti, Z Barina, I Bazos, D Draper, P Grillas, ...
Nature Plants 7 (3), 282-286 2021

MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS

Shedding light on typical species: implications for habitat monitoring
G Bonari, E Fantinato, L Lazzaro, MG Sperandii, ATR Acosta, ...
Plant Sociology 58 (1), 157-166 2021
Citations: 36

IDPlanT: the Italian database of plant translocation
T Abeli, M D’Agostino, S Orsenigo, F Bartolucci, R Accogli, ...
Plant Biosystems-An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant 2021
Citations: 19

Selecting the best candidates for resurrecting extinct-in-the-wild plants from herbaria
G Albani Rocchetti, A Carta, A Mondoni, S Godefroid, CC Davis, ...
Nature Plants 8 (12), 1385-1393 2022
Citations: 17

Seventeen ‘extinct’plant species back to conservation attention in Europe
T Abeli, G Albani Rocchetti, Z Barina, I Bazos, D Draper, P Grillas, ...
Nature Plants 7 (3), 282-286 2021
Citations: 17

The role of aftercare in plant translocation
A Corli, GA Rocchetti, S Orsenigo, J Possley, T Abeli
Biodiversity and Conservation 32 (13), 4181-4197 2023
Citations: 7

Linking man and nature: relictual forest coenosis with Laurus nobilis L. and Celtis australis L. in Antica lavinium, Italy.
GA Rocchetti, F Bartoli, E Cicinelli, F Lucchese, G Caneva
2022
Citations: 4

Out-of-date datasets hamper conservation of species close to extinction
T Abeli, S Sharrock, G Albani Rocchetti
Nature Plants 8 (12), 1370-1373 2022
Citations: 3

A pragmatic and prudent consensus on the resurrection of extinct plant species using herbarium specimens
GA Rocchetti, C Davis, G Caneva, G Bacchetta, G Fabrini, G Fenu, ...
Taxon 71, 168-177 2021
Citations: 3