The lab is led by Luigi Maiorano and is based in the Department of Biology and Biotechnologies Charles Darwin at Sapienza University of Rome (Italy). It is part of the Macroecology and Biodiversity Conservation research group.

Aim and mission

We aim to explore the large and global-scale patterns and processes that shape species distribution in space and time. We focus on various ecological systems, considering both extant and fossil species, including animals and plants, marine and terrestrial, being particularly active with terrestrial vertebrates in the Mediterranean basin.

Our mission is to provide a better understanding in the fields of biogeography, global change biology, and macroecology, applying our results and methods to conservation biology and species management.

Our work

Our research is deeply embedded in ecological theory. We use data mining, analytical methods, species distribution models to better understand how theory can help us to disentangle the complex interaction between drivers of change and patterns of species distribution. For this purpose, our team works to develop the most advanced macroecological models.

We collaborate worldwide with other research institutions and are active at national level in partnership both with academic and governmental actors.
Find out more about our projects and collaborators here.