معرفی
Francesca Barbero is an Associate Professor in the Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology at the University of Turin. She is affiliated with the "Ferdinando Rossi" School of Advanced Studies (SSST) and teaches courses in Natural Sciences and Natural Systems Sciences, focusing on Evolution of Animal and Human Behavior and General Zoology. She serves on the Orientation Committee, Departmental Council for Natural Sciences, and Thesis Coordination Committee.
Her research centers on insect behavioral ecology with emphases on chemical and acoustic communication systems, social parasitism mechanisms in butterfly-ant interactions, and conservation biology. She investigates multimodal deception strategies where parasites mimic host signals, plant-insect defense dynamics, and biodiversity responses to anthropogenic pressures. Her work integrates field ecology, chemical analysis, and acoustic monitoring to dissect complex interspecies relationships.
Analysis of her 15 most recent publications reveals dominant themes in butterfly-ant coevolution (particularly Maculinea-Myrmica systems), with recurring investigations into chemical mimicry, vibroacoustic signaling, and conservation applications. She has pioneered methods for butterfly red-listing in Italy and examined cross-kingdom interactions including plant responses to extracellular DNA and forest-vineyard microbial connectivity. Her research bridges fundamental behavioral ecology with applied conservation frameworks.
Dr. Barbero co-leads the "Evolution of Communication" and "Plant-Arthropod Interactions" research groups at the University of Turin, where her teams explore signal evolution in symbiotic systems and tritrophic interactions between plants, herbivores, and their natural enemies through integrated molecular and ecological approaches.
