Dr. Nicola Pavanetto

Postdoctoral researcher
Email: nicola.pavanetto[at]uni-goettingen.de


Research Interests
I am a plant ecologist interested in understanding plant adaptive strategies across spatial, temporal, and biological scales. Since insular ecosystems represent a perfect model to study how these strategies are shaped by evolutionary history and environmental gradients, my research investigates the mechanisms driving plant biodiversity through the lens of Functional Island Biogeography. By integrating macroecological and evolutionary approaches, I aim to understand how plant functional and life-history traits drive biodiversity patterns within and between island and mainland ecosystems.

For a list of my publications please visit my Google scholar profile.

Teaching
Summer semester:
B.ES.119 Field methods in forest ecology, silviculture and vegetation science
M.FES.124 Modern concepts and methods in macroecology and biogeography
Winter semester:
M.FES.112 Biodiversity of communities and ecosystems

Selected representative publications
Pavanetto N., Rueda M., Niinemets Ü., Puglielli G., 2024 Macroecology of abiotic stress tolerance in woody plants of the Northern Hemisphere: tolerance biomes and polytolerance hotspots, Ecology Letters, 27-11, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.70016

Carmona C.P., Pavanetto N., Puglielli G., 2024. funspace: An R package to build, analyze and plot functional trait spaces, Diversity and Distribution, 30-4, e13820,
https://doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13820

Pavanetto N., Carmona C.P., Niinemets Ü, Laanisto L., Puglielli G., 2024. Trait dimensions of abiotic stress tolerance in woody plants of the Northern Hemisphere, Global Ecology and Biogeography, 33-2, 272-285, https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13788

Pavanetto N., Tordoni E., Petruzzelis F., Maccherini S., Nardini A., Beccari E., Ricotta C., Rocchini D., Conti L., Castello M., Bacaro G., 2025. Effects of climate extremes and grazing on functional traits of grassland communities: results from a 15-year experiment, Annals of Botany, mcaf059, https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcaf059


Education
2025: Ph.D. in Environmental Sciences and Applied Biology, Estonian University of Life Sciences (Tartu, Estonia), Advisors: Dr. Giacomo Puglielli, Prof. Lauri Laanisto, Opponent: Dr. Francisco Pugnaire, Title: “Uncovering the patterns of woody plants’ adaptations to tolerate multiple abiotic stresses”

2020: MSc. in Global Change Ecology, University of Trieste (Trieste, Italy), Advisors: Prof. Giovanni Bacaro, Dr. Enrico Tordoni, Dr. Franscesco Petruzzellis, Title: “Grazing and climate extremes influence functional responses of a restored grassland community.”

2017: Bsc.in in Science and Technology for the Environment and Nature, University of Trieste (Trieste, Italy), Advisor: Prof. Giovanni Bacaro, Title: “Modern management tools for floristic and vegetation data: an example of relational geodatabase for the city of Trieste.”