Wild ruminants in extreme habitats: the movement ecology of female Alpine ibex
(Capra ibex)
Research group: prof. Maurizio Ramanzin, prof. Enrico Sturaro.
DAFNAE – Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural resources, Animals and
Environment
Collaborations
Fondazione Edmund Mach, Trento (Italy) - Dr. Francesca Cagnacci
UAB-SEFAS, Barcelona (Spain) - Dr. Emmanuel Serrano
Department BCA (Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science) - Dr. Rudi Cassini
Project
This project started in 2010 with the aim of understanding understanding how
seasonal patterns of movement of adult females of Capra ibex are shaped by habitat
features, climatic variables, individual reproductive conditions, and personalities in a
population of the eastern Italian Alps (Marmolada massif, Dolomites). Alpine ibex is
an important species per se, but can also be taken as a model species for other wild
bovids living in very harsh climates. The project is based on the GPS-GSM tracking
techniques, and so far we have gathered approximately 170,000 locations from 20
females (2-12 years old). In the summer 2015 we plan to increase the sample by
capturing and marking 5-7 females, but this project has no deadline: we will continue
capturing, marking and monitoring females as long as possible, in order to create a
(hopefully) long term database.
At capture (using tele-anaesthesia, with veterinary assistance, normally in September)
females are aged (we are presently capturing only females ≥ 2 years), examined for
health status, phenotypic quality (body mass and indexes of body size), and
reproductive status (form udder morphology and milk secretion). Then we mark them
with collars and ear tags. Collars are set to attempt a location every 1 hour, and to
drop-off after 54 weeks.
Additional field work, in May-November varying with snow depth that determine
accessibility to study area, includes observations to determine groups composition and
size and reproductive status of marked females (from mother-kid linkages), and
collection of faecal samples for analysis of diet quality.
This project obviously involves a fundamental component of office work, for the
editing and storing of acquired locations, and for the association with meteorological
(T, precipitation, snow depth), morphological (slope, aspect, sky-view, insulation,…),
land use, vegetation greenness (NDVI) variables.
In the first years we have tested the methodology, built up an adequate sample of
individuals, and validated the use of faecal N as a proxy of diet quality. We are now
entering the second phase of the project, which will address the intra-annual patterns
of weekly and monthly home range sizes, of spatial shifts and overlap of areas used,
and of resource use/selection.
Contacts: prof. Maurizio Ramanzin maurizio.ramanzin@unipd.it; prof Enrico Sturaro
enrico.sturaro@unipd.it.
CV of Maurizio Ramanzin
Born 26/10/1957 Valdagno (VI), Italy.
Professional address: Department of Agronomy, Animal, Food, Natural resources and
Environment, Viale dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro (PD) (I).
Tel. 049/8272654, Telefax 049/8272669, e-mail: maurizio.ramanzin@.unipd.it
Position: Full professor
Academic career:
Researcher at the Agricultural Faculty of Padova 1983; Associated Professor at the
Agricoltural Faculty of Padova 1992; Full Professor at the Agricultural Faculty of
Padova 2000; Director of Department of Animal Science, University of Padova,
2002-2005; President of the council of the BS course on Forest and Environment
technology,
Faculty
of
Agriculture
of
Padova,
2003-2009;
Teaching (presently):
Animal farming in mountain areas, BS degree in Forestry and Environment
Technologies; Wildlife Conservation and Management, degree in Forestry and
Environment Sciences.
I am member of Associazione Scientifica di Produzione Animale; Associazione
Italiana di Teriologia; Wild Animals Veterinary Euromediterranean Society.
Research:
My recent research interests are in wildlife ecology and management and in farming
systems, landscape and ecosystem services, with special emphasis on the mountain
areas of eastern Italian Alps. The connection between this two research topics has
various origins. First, my scientific background is in animal nutrition and farming
and, although my research during the last 15 years has been progressively shifting
towards the “wildlife side”, I still maintain an interest on the effects that different
farming systems have on the evolution of landscape and habitats. Second, the study
areas are largely overlapped and part of the techniques used (GIS description and
geostatistical analyses) are similar. Third, maintaining an interest in both fields
encourages a dialogue with experts in different disciplines studying the use and
conservation of natural resources, such as wildlife ecologists, botanists,
entomologists, etc., and also with experts in agricultural policy, planning and in
economy,
I
find
this
dialogue
very
interesting.
List of publications MR (last 5 years)
1.
ASPA Commission “Wildlife management”: RAMANZIN M. (Coordinator), AMICI
A., CASOLI C., ESPOSITO L., LUPI P., MARSICO G., MATTIELLO S.,
OLIVIERI O., PONZETTA M. P., RUSSO C., TRABALZA MARINUCCI M.
(2010). Meat from wild ungulates: ensuring quality and hygiene of an increasing
resource. (2010) Ital J Anim Sci vol.9:e61.
2. MARCHIORI E, E. STURARO, DAL ZOTTO R, RAMANZIN M, BITTANTE G
(2010). Trentingrana cheese production: analysis of dairy systems. Di -. ACTA
AGRARIA KAPOSVÁRIENSIS, vol. 14, p. 133-140, Kaposvár : PATE Állatteny.
Kar, ISSN: 1418-1789
3.
SCILLITANI L., STURARO E., MENZANO A., ROSSI L., VIALE C.,
RAMANZIN M. (2011). Post-release spatial and social behaviour of translocated
male Alpine ibexes (Capra ibex ibex) in the eastern Italian Alps. Eur J Wildl Res., 58:
461–472
4.
COCCA G., STURARO E., GALLO L., RAMANZIN M. (2012). Is the
abandonment of traditional livestock farming systems the main driver of mountain
landscape change in Alpine areas? Land Use Policy, 29: 878 – 886.
5.
MARCHIORI E., STURARO E., RAMANZIN M. (2012). Wild red deer (Cervus
elaphus L.) grazing may seriously reduce forage production in mountain meadows.
Ital J Anim Sci vol.11:e9.
6.
SCILLITANI L., STURARO E., MONACO A., ROSSI L., RAMANZIN M. (2012).
Factors affecting home range size of male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) in the
Marmolada massif. Hystrix-It. J. Zool. Doi: 10.4404/hystrix-23.2-4622.
7.
SCILLITANI L., DARMON G, MONACO A., COCCA G., STURARO E., ROSSI
L., RAMANZIN M. (2013). Habitat selection in translocated gregarious ungulate
species: an interplay between sociality and ecological requirements. J. Wildl. Manag.
77: 761-769. Doi: 10.1002/jwmg.517
8.
STURARO E., THIENE M., COCCA G., MRAD M., TEMPESTA T., RAMANZIN
M. (2013). Factors influencing summer farms management in the Alps. Ital. J. Anim.
Sci. 12:e25. Doi: 10.408/ijas.2013.e25
9.
ZENDRI F., STURARO E., RAMANZIN M. (2013). Highland summer pastures play
a fundamental role for dairy systems in an Italian Alpine region. Acs. Agriculturae
Conspectus Scientificus. 78(3): 295-299.
10. STURARO E., MARCHIORI E., COCCA G., PENASA M., RAMANZIN M.,
BITTANTE G. (2013). Dairy systems in mountainous areas: farm animal
biodiversity, milk production and destination, and land use. Livestock Science, 158:
157-168. Doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2013.09.11.
11. STURARO E., BITTANTE G., RAMANZIN M. (2013). Geographic information
systems approaches to investigate the production environment descriptors of local
breeds. In: ASPA 20th Congress Bologna, June 11-13, 2013 Book of Abstracts.
ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 12:s1, p. 19, ISSN: 1828-051X,
Bologna, June 11-13, 2013
12. RAMANZIN M., STURARO E., 2014. Habitat quality influences relative antler size
and hunters’ selectivity in roe deer. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 60: 1-10. Doi:
10.1007/s10344-013-0744-5.
13. RAMANZIN M., BATTAGLINI L. (2014). Il paesaggio agro-zootecnico e silvo-
pastorale della montagna alpina. In: (a cura di): B. Ronchi, G. Pulina, M. Ramanzin,
Il paesaggio zootecnico italiano. p. 47-76, Milano:Franco Angeli, ISBN:
9788820458751
14. RAMANZIN M., SALVADOR S., STURARO E., BOVOLENTA S. (2014).
Livestock farming systems in the eastern Italian Alps: ecosystem services and
product quality. In: Baumont et al.. Forage resources and ecosystem services
provided by Mountain and Mediterranean grassland and rangelands. vol. 109, p. 811815, ISBN: 2853525317, Clermont Ferrand, 24-26 June 2014
15. F. PIROTTI, M. A. PARRAGA, E. STURARO, M. DUBBINI, A. MASIERO, M.
RAMANZIN (2014). NDVI from Landsat 8 Vegetation Indices to Study Movement
Dynamics of Capra Ibex in Mountain Areas. In: THE INTERNATIONAL
ARCHIVES OF THE PHOTOGRAMMETRY, REMOTE SENSING AND
SPATIAL INFORMATION SCIENCES. THE INTERNATIONAL ARCHIVES OF
THE
PHOTOGRAMMETRY,
REMOTE
SENSING
AND
SPATIAL
INFORMATION SCIENCES, vol. XL-7, p. 147-153, ISSN: 1682-1777, 2014-#sep#,
doi: 10.5194/isprsarchives-XL-7-147-2014
16. BERTON M., CESARO G., GALLO L., RAMANZIN M., STURARO E. (2014).
Sustainability of intensive beef production system in North-East Italy: relationships
between phosphorus supply and productive performance. In: PROCEEDINGS OF
THE 22ND INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM “Animal Science Days” CURRENT
CHALLENGES IN REPRODUCTION RELATED TO FOOD SECURITY AND
SAFETY. ACTA AGRARIA KAPOSVÁRIENSIS, vol. 18, p. 56-62, Kaposvár
University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, ISSN: 1418-1789,
Keszthely (Hungary), 16-19 September 2014
Curriculum Vitae ENRICO STURARO
 Born March 12th 1976 in Legnago, Verona (Italy).
 Graduated at the University of Padova (Italy) in Veterinary Medicine in June 2001 with
the thesis: “Fatty and lean areas in sections of dry cured hams: genetic aspects and
relationship with fresh hams and carcass”(supervisor Prof. Paolo Carnier).
 October 2003-February 2004: research period on genetic diseases of dogs at the
Department of Animal Science of University of Helsinki (Finland) under the supervision
of Prof. Matti Ojala.
 March 2005: PhD in ‘Preservation, Management and Improvement of Animal Genetic
Resources’ under the supervision of Prof. Paolo Carnier at the Department of Animal
Science of the University of Padova, with a thesis on ‘Technological and qualitative
characteristics of raw hams for dry-curing: genetic aspects and their relationships with the
final product quality”.
 From July 2005 post-doc scholarship for a research project on ‘Relationships between
livestock production systems and landscape changes in the Belluno province’.
 From 01/01/2006 researcher at the Department of Animal Science University of Padova.
 From 2015 Associate professor at the Department of Agronomy Food Natural resources
Animals and Environment (DAFNAE) , University of Padova

Research area of interest:
Sustainability of livestock farming systems
Wildlife Management

Teaching:
1) Livestock systems and Environment: 2nd year of the first level degree in
Environmental Sciences and Technology
2) Livestock chains in mountain areas: 2st year of master program in Forestry and
Environmental Science
Member of the following scientific societies :
 ASPA - Associazione per la Scienza e le Produzioni Animali
 SOZOOALP - Società per lo studio e la valorizzazione dei sistemi zootecnici alpini
(Secretary)
 Working Group for Documentation and Information - European Regional Focal point
for Animal Genetic Resources (ERFP)
Papers (last 5 years):
2011
1) BONFATTI V., CECCHINATO A., STURARO E., GALLO L., CARNIER P. (2011).
Computer image analysis traits of cross-sectioned dry-cured hams: a genetic analysis.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 89, p. 2326-2335, ISSN: 0021-8812, doi:
10.2527/jas.2010-3675
2) PULINA G., DIAS FRANCESCONI AE., MELE M., RONCHI B., STEFANON B.,
STURARO E., TREVISI E. (2011). Sfamare un mondo di nove miliardi di persone: le
sfide per una zootecnia sostenibile. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF AGRONOMY, vol. 6,
p. 39-44, ISSN: 2039-6805, doi: 10.4081/ija.2011.6.s2.e7
2012
3) Menegazzo L., Bussadori C., Chiavegato D., Quintavalla C., Bonfatti V., Guglielmini
C., Sturaro E., Gallo L., Carnier P. (2012). The relevance of echocardiography heart
measures for breeding against the risk of subaortic and pulmonic stenosis in Boxer
dogs. JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 90, p. 419-428, ISSN: 0021-8812,
doi: 10.2527/jas.2011-4018
4) Cocca G., Sturaro E., Gallo L., Ramanzin M. (2012). Is the abandonment of traditional
livestock farming systems the main driver of mountain landscape change in Alpine
areas?. LAND USE POLICY, vol. 29, p. 878-886, ISSN: 0264-8377, doi:
10.1016/j.landusepol.2012.01.005
5) Marchiori E., Sturaro E., Ramanzin M. (2012). Wild red deer (Cervus elaphus L.)
grazing may seriously reduce forage production in mountain meadows. ITALIAN
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 11:e9, p. 47-53, ISSN: 1828-051X, doi:
10.4081/ijas.2012.e9
6) SCILLITANI L., STURARO E., MENZANO A., ROSSI L., VIALE C., RAMANZIN
M. (2012). Post-release spatial and social behaviour of translocated male Alpine
ibexes (Capra ibex ibex) in the eastern Italian Alps. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF
WILDLIFE RESEARCH, vol. 58, p. 461-472, ISSN: 1612-4642, doi:
10.1007/s10344-011-0596-9
7) Scillitani L., Sturaro E., Monaco A., Rossi L., Ramanzin M. (2012). Factors affecting
home range size of male Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) in the Marmolada massif.
HYSTRIX, vol. 23(2), p. 19-27, ISSN: 1825-5272, doi: 10.4404/hystrix-23.2-4622
8) STURARO E., CASSANDRO M., COZZI G. (2012). Sustainability of cattle farms in
Italy. ACTA AGRICULTURAE SLOVENICA, vol. 100, p. 27-33, ISSN: 1581-9175
2013
9) Sturaro E., Thiene M., Cocca G., Mrad M., Tempesta T., Ramanzin M. (2013). Factors
influencing summer farms management in the Alps. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF
ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 12, p. 153-161, ISSN: 1828-051X, doi:
10.4081/ijas.2013.e25
10) Scillitani L., Darmon G., Monaco A., Cocca G., Sturaro E., Rossi L., Ramanzin M.
(2013). Habitat Selection in Translocated Gregarious Ungulate Species: An Interplay
Between Sociality and Ecological Requirements. JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE
MANAGEMENT, vol. 77, p. 761-769, ISSN: 0022-541X, doi: 10.1002/jwmg.517
11) Sturaro E., Marchiori E., Cocca G., Penasa M., Ramanzin M., Bittante G. (2013).
Dairy systems in mountainous areas: Farm animal biodiversity, milk production and
destination, and land use. LIVESTOCK SCIENCE, vol. 158, p. 157-168, ISSN: 18711413, doi: 10.1016/j.livsci.2013.09.0112014
12) ZENDRI F., STURARO E., RAMANZIN M. (2013). Highland Summer Pastures Play
a Fundamental Role for Dairy Systems in an Italian Alpine Region. ACS.
AGRICULTURAE CONSPECTUS SCIENTIFICUS, vol. 78, p. 295-299, ISSN:
1331-7768
2014
13) Ramanzin M., Sturaro E. (2014). Habitat quality influences relative antler size and
hunters selectivity in roe deer. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE
RESEARCH, vol. 60, p. 1-10, ISSN: 1612-4642, doi: 10.1007/s10344-013-0744-5
14) Battaglini L., Bovolenta S., Gusmeroli F., Salvador S., Sturaro E. (2014).
Environmental sustainability of Alpine livestock farms. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF
ANIMAL SCIENCE, vol. 13, p. 431-443, ISSN: 1828-051X, doi:
10.4081/ijas.2014.3155
2015
15) BITTANTE, G. CIPOLAT-GOTET, C. MALCHIODI, F. STURARO, E.
TAGLIAPIETRA, F. SCHIAVON, S. CECCHINATO, A. (2015). Effect of dairy
farming system, herd, season, parity and days in milk on modeling of coagulation,
curd firming and syneresis of bovine milk. J. Dairy Sci. 2015; (In press)