Hi! I’m Luciano. Currently, I’m a PhD student at the University of Camerino, working on a thesis on plant traits and functional diversity at small scales. My interests are ecology, statistics and software, in particular trait-based ecology, Bayesian models, causal inference, and R.
This blog is an outlet for helpful ideas, technical aspects, and discussions that might come up during my work or while reading, and don’t quite fit into conventional academic outlets. Sometimes maybe they do, but tucked away in some corner because not everyone is a curious nerd.
If you’re interested in my research, here’s a full bibliography!
As main author
Legnaro Diamanti, M., Cangelmi, G., De Benedictis, L. L. M., Balducci, L., Benesperi, R., Bianchi, E., Carli, E., Ceci, A., Chianucci, F., Ciaschetti, G., De Simone, L., De Toma, A., Di Pietro, F., Fanfarillo, E., Fiaschi, T., Francioni, M., Girometta, C. E., Leonardi, M., Loppi, S., … Burrascano, S. (2026). Forest structure and multi-taxonomic diversity in Apennine beech forests subjected to conservation-oriented interventions. Plant Biosystems, 160(4), 224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44473-026-00238-x
Cervellini, M., Benedictis, L. L. M. D., Salvatori, L., Chelli, S., Campetella, G., Selvi, F., Iacopetti, G., Ferrara, A., Chiarucci, A., Canini, A., Francioni, M., Scalet, C., & Canullo, R. (2026). Training and intercalibration reduce observer-induced variability in forest vegetation surveys. Vegetation Ecology and Diversity, 63, e189819. https://doi.org/10.3897/ved.189819
De Benedictis, L. L. M., Chelli, S., Zhu, Z., Cervellini, M., Canullo, R., Chianucci, F., Puletti, N., Tsakalos, J. L., Bartha, S., & Campetella, G. (2026). Forest structure and understory functional diversity at multiple scales: The importance of median tree height. Ecological Indicators, 183, 114687. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.114687
De Benedictis, L. L. M., Chelli, S., Canullo, R., & Campetella, G. (2025). Measuring Them all: Individual-Based Functional Spatial Patterns in Mountain Grasslands. Journal of Vegetation Science, 36(2), e70029. https://doi.org/10.1111/jvs.70029
As co-author
Cooper, N. & the BES Data and Code Hackathon Group. (2026). Data- and code-archiving in the British Ecological Society journals: Present status and recommendations for future improvements. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 17(7), 1954–1966. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210x.70338
Zhu, Z., Pal, R. W., Chelli, S., Cervellini, M., Canullo, R., De Benedictis, L. L. M., Cox, A., Añazco, A. R., Bartha, S., & Campetella, G. (2026). From ashes to old-growth forests: How do long-term changes in forest structure affect understory plant diversity after wildfires in Yellowstone National Park? Forest Ecology and Management, 602, 123419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123419
Zhu, Z., Chelli, S., Tsakalos, J. L., Bricca, A., Canullo, R., Cervellini, M., Pennesi, R., De Benedictis, L. L. M., Cesaroni, V., Bottacci, A., & Campetella, G. (2025). How effective are different protection strategies in promoting the plant diversity of temperate forests in national parks? Forest Ecology and Management, 584, 122602. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.122602
Cervellini, M., Salvatori, L., Chelli, S., Tardella, F. M., Chiarucci, A., Tsakalos, J. L., Campetella, G., Francioni, M., De Benedictis, L. L. M., & Canullo, R. (2025). Long-term monitoring of plant diversity data in the “Montagna di Torricchio” Strict Nature Reserve, Italy. Data in Brief, 59, 111355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2025.111355
Chelli, S., Tsakalos, J. L., Zhu, Z., De Benedictis, L. L. M., Bartha, S., Canullo, R., Borsukevych, L., Cervellini, M., & Campetella, G. (2024). The diversity of within-community plant species combinations: A new tool for assessing changes in forests and guiding protection actions. Ecological Indicators, 163, 112089. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112089