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Dr. Valeria Mazza

Valeria Mazza during fieldwork

Contact

 

University of Potsdam / Animal Ecology
Maulbeerallee 2a
Room 1.07
14469 Potsdam

 

consulting hours
by appointment

Research Interests

I am a behavioural ecologist interested in understanding the reciprocal relationships between behaviour and evolution, and particularly how this interaction plays out in the context of current human-induced rapid environmental changes. My research interests include:

  • the interactions between mechanism, fitness benefit and evolutionary significance of novel behavioural skills (animal innovation).
  • behavioural and cognitive adaptations to environmental features, exploiting current human-induced rapid environmental change and urbanization as “large-scale experiments”.

Current projects at UP:

Valeria Mazza during fieldwork

Contact

 

University of Potsdam / Animal Ecology
Maulbeerallee 2a
Room 1.07
14469 Potsdam

 

consulting hours
by appointment

Websites

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Valeria_Mazza

https://valeriamazza.net/

 

 

Academic Career

Since 2020      Senior lecturer, Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam

2018 – 2020    Postdoctoral researcher, Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam. Project
                            “Bridging in Biodiversity Science” (BIBS)

2017 – 2018    Research assistant (Hi-Wi) , Animal Ecology, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam

2014 – 2017    Doctoral studies, Animal Ethology and Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Florence (Italy)

2007 – 2009    Master’s degree in Animal Conservation and Biodiversity (Biology), University of Turin (Italy)

2004 – 2007    Bachelor’s degree in Biology, University of Turin (Italy)

 

Publications

Mazza V, Czyperreck I, Eccard J A, Dammhahn M (2021) Cross-context responses to novelty in rural and urban small mammals. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 9:661971.  https://doi.org/10.3389/fevo.2021.661971

Mazza V & Guenther A (2021) City mice and country mice: innovative problem-solving in rural and urban non-commensal rodents. Animal Behaviour 172(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.12.007

Mazza V, Dammhahn M, Lösche E, Eccard JA(2020) Small mammals in the big city: Behavioural adjustments of non‐commensal rodents to urban environments. Global Change Biology 26(11):6326-37.https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15304

Dammhahn M, Mazza V, Schirmer A, Göttsche C, Eccard JA. (2020) Of city and village mice: behavioural adjustments of striped field mice to urban environments. Scientific reports 2020 10(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-69998-6

Mazza V, Dammhahn M, Eccard J A, Palme R., Zaccaroni M., & Jacob J. (2019) Coping with style: individual differences in responses to environmental variation. Behavioural Ecology and Sociobiology 73:142, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00265-019-2760-2

Mazza V, Jacob J, Dammhahn M, Zaccaroni M, & Eccard JA (2019) Individual variation in cognitive style reflects foraging and anti-predator strategies in a small mammal. Scientific Reports 9:10157, www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-46582-1

Dell'Agnello F, Martini M, Mori E, Mazza G, Mazza V, & Zaccaroni, M (2019) Winter activity rhythms of a rodent pest species in agricultural habitats. Mammal Research 65(4), https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13364-019-00443-4

Mazza V, Eccard JA, Zaccaroni M, Jacob J, & Dammhahn M(2018) The fast and the flexible: cognitive style drives individual variation in cognition in a small mammal. Animal Behaviour 137(1), www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347218300253

Dell’Agnello F, Mazza V, Martini M, Bertolino S, Capizzi D, Riga F, & Zaccaroni M (2018) Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system. Mammalia 82(4),  https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/mamm.2018.82.issue-4/mammalia-2017-0005/mammalia-2017-0005.xml

Dell'Agnello F, Barfknecht R, Bertolino S, Capizzi D, Martini M, Mazza V, Riga F, & Zaccaroni M (2018) Consistent demographic trends in Savi's pine vole between two distant areas in central Italy. Folia Zoologica 67(1), https://bioone.org/journals/Folia-Zoologica/volume-67/issue-1/fozo.v67.i1.a3.2018/Consistent-demographic-trends-in-Savis-pine-vole-between-two-distant/10.25225/fozo.v67.i1.a3.2018.full

Ranchelli E, Barfknecht R, Capizzi D, Riga F, Mazza V, Dell'Agnello F, & Zaccaroni M (2016) From biology to management of Savi's pine vole (Microtus savii). Pest Management Science 72(5), https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/ps.4212