Luca Borghesio
PhD Candidate, Dept. Biological
Sciences
University of Illinois at Chicago
Advisor: Prof Henry F. Howe
University of Illinois at Chicago
Advisor: Prof Henry F. Howe
Curriculum Vitae
Mailing Address:
Department of Biological Sciences (M/C 066)
University of Illinois at Chicago
845 W. Taylor St., Chicago, IL 60607 USA
Office location: 3462 SES
Phone: 312-996-1820
Fax: 312-413-2435
E-mail: lborgh2 (at) uic.edu
Research Interests
In general, I am a community ecologist: I am interested into the ecological relationships between species coexisting in ecological communities.
In my first works, I chose dung insect communities as a study model. True, they stink a bit... but after all there are many other things in life that have a much worse (metaphorical) stink than those poor little beetles... and if you think about it, dung pats are a wonderful model: they are simple, self-contained ecosystems, with very clear, well-defined spatial boundaries (an ecologist's dream!). You can easily manipulate and perform all sort of experiments on a dung pat and its inhabitants. And dung insects play an important role in the recycling of nutrients that affects plant growth in pasture ecosystems (Borghesio et al. 1999).
Sisyphus dung beetles at work
African ecosystems have been capturing my attention - and consuming a large fraction of my energies - since the early 1990s. I am particularly interested in the study of East African Afromontane forest bird communities. These forests grow on top on isolated mountains scattered over most of East Africa, and they host numerous endemic and often threatened species (Borghesio & Laiolo 2004a). Up to now, my research focused on recording patterns of bird distribution and abundance (Borghesio et al. 2004, Borghesio & Ndang'ang'a 2001), on the trends in human-induced habitat destruction (Borghesio & Giannetti 2004) and on the seasonality of bird's foraging (Borghesio & Laiolo 2004b). My PhD at the University of Illinois builds on the knowledge collected so far, and focuses on the effects of human-driven disturbance on the forest ecosystem.
The Ndoto Hills, in northern Kenya
One by-product of my African wanderings was the long-lasting interest in the biology of turacos (Musophagidae), a family of arboreal birds endemic to tropical Africa. My initial approach was totally casual (a picture on the page of a book, which sparked a three-month long solitary trip to Ethiopia in search of the elusive Prince Ruspoli's Turaco) but since 1995 my research resulted in numerous contributions on various aspects of turaco biology and conservation (e.g.: Borghesio & Massa 2000; Borghesio & Ndang'ang'a 2003; Borghesio et al. 2004). I hope further papers will come out in the future. I wish to thank several sponsors who supported my turaco research since the beginning (the Bird Exploration Fund (UK), Conservation des Espèces et des Populations Animales (CEPA; France), International Touraco Society (ITS, UK), Zoologische Gesellschaft fur Arten und Populatiosschutz (ZGAP, Germany) and Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (Qatar)).
Prince Ruspoli's Turaco Tauraco ruspolii, endemic to South Ethiopia. Habitat change and hybridization with T. leucotis are its main threats
Finally, much of my research in the past was focused on evaluating the conservation of poorly known endangered endemic birds of East Africa. Many of these species have never been studied in detail, and the information on their biology is often contradictory or unreliable. The field work often comes out with unexpected results: sometimes species are found to more common than previously thought (Borghesio & Ndang'ang'a 2003), or, even more astonishingly, measures taken to protect them are found to actually threaten their survival (Borghesio & Giannetti 2005)
Kulal White-eye Zosterops kulalensis is
endemic to Mt Kulal, Northern Kenya. Its total range may
be no more than 20 km²
Current research
- Biological exploration and analysis of human impacts in the Afromontane forests of Eastern Africa
- Long term study of the effects of fire on plant and bird communities in a heathland ecosystem in North-Western Italy
Selected publications
Borghesio,
L., Giannetti, F. (2005). Habitat degradation threatens the survival of
the
Ethiopian Bush Crow Zavattariornis
stresemanni. Oryx 39(1): 44-49. PDF
Borghesio,
L., Giannetti, F., Ndang’ang’a, K., Shimelis, A. (2004). The present
conservation status of Juniperus
forests in the South Ethiopian Endemic Bird Area. African Journal of
Ecology
42: 137-143. PDF
Borghesio, L.,
Laiolo, P. (2004a). Habitat use and feeding ecology of Kulal white-eye Zosterops
(poliogaster) kulalensis. Bird
Conservation International 14: 11-24. PDF
Borghesio, L.,
Laiolo, P. (2004b). Seasonal foraging ecology in a northern
Borghesio, L.,
Ndang’ang’a, K. (2003). Habitat selection and conservation status of
Fischer’s
Turaco Tauraco fischeri in
Borghesio,
L., Palestrini, C. (2002). The biology
of Aphodius pyrenaeus, a dung beetle
of high-altitude
habitats. Revue d’Ecologie (Terre et Vie) 57(2): 97-111. PDF
Borghesio, L.,
Borghesio,
L., Luzzatto, M., Palestrini, C.
(1999). Interactions between dung, plants and the dung fauna in a
heathland in
northern
When you get up in the morning, the forest drips water all over...
Provided it doesn't rain, and your car doesn't lose a wheel...
Fischer' Turaco is highly threatened by habitat destruction on the island
August 2000
January 1992
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