PhD student
I am a PhD student with a strong interest in understanding how glacier shrinkage impacts glacial and proglacial biodiversity. My passion for glacial environments began in childhood, when I spent my summers admiring the majestic glaciers of the Breuil basin. This passion led me to focus my master’s thesis on how ground-dwelling arthropod communities respond to changes in the cryosphere within that very basin. Beyond this, I have also gained experience in soil analysis and identification of glacial springtails and ground beetles, using both traditional morphological approaches and DNA barcoding. Currently, my research focuses on two main objectives: evaluating the conservation status of cold-adapted ground beetles, and determining the actual rate at which the colonization process occurs in glacier forelands. My goal is to help identifying areas of conservation interest in our beloved mountain.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Virginia-Toscano-Rivalta