Invited Speakers
Marco Apollonio
Tentative title: Roe deer and the environment: impacts on reproduction and senescence.
Marco Apollonio was born in Rome 17 November 1958, he graduated at the University of Milan in 1981, he served as officer in Alpine Mountain Troops 1982-1983, he spent three years as research fellowship at the National Institute of Wildlife Biology and is from 2000 full professor of Zoology at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari. Here he directed the Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Genetics and the Doctoral course in Environmental Biology; he was president of the Italian Society of Mammalogy (ATIT). At present he is responsible of the International Master Course in Wildlife Management, Conservation and Control. His main research interests are behavioural ecology, ecological genetics, management, and conservation of large mammals. His scientific production consists of 173 peer refereed papers, 17 book chapters, 5 internationally edited books.
Tentative title: Roe deer and the environment: impacts on reproduction and senescence.
Marco Apollonio was born in Rome 17 November 1958, he graduated at the University of Milan in 1981, he served as officer in Alpine Mountain Troops 1982-1983, he spent three years as research fellowship at the National Institute of Wildlife Biology and is from 2000 full professor of Zoology at the Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Sassari. Here he directed the Department of Zoology and Evolutionary Genetics and the Doctoral course in Environmental Biology; he was president of the Italian Society of Mammalogy (ATIT). At present he is responsible of the International Master Course in Wildlife Management, Conservation and Control. His main research interests are behavioural ecology, ecological genetics, management, and conservation of large mammals. His scientific production consists of 173 peer refereed papers, 17 book chapters, 5 internationally edited books.
Uwe Kierdorf
Title: Antlers as bioindicators of environmental pollution: principles, achievements, and future research directions.
Uwe studied at the University of Cologne, Germany, where in 1988 he received his doctoral degree. In 1997, he earned his habilitation (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) at the University of Giessen. Uwe has worked at the Wildlife Research Station of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Bonn), the Zoological Institute of the University of Göttingen, the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus (Denmark), the Institute of General and Systematic Zoology, University of Giessen, and, from 2005 onward, at the University of Hildesheim, Germany, where he currently is a professor in the Department of Biology. His main research interests are antler biology, mammalian odontology, bioarchaeology and palaeopathology, and ecotoxicology and bioindication.
Title: Antlers as bioindicators of environmental pollution: principles, achievements, and future research directions.
Uwe studied at the University of Cologne, Germany, where in 1988 he received his doctoral degree. In 1997, he earned his habilitation (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) at the University of Giessen. Uwe has worked at the Wildlife Research Station of the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia (Bonn), the Zoological Institute of the University of Göttingen, the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Aarhus (Denmark), the Institute of General and Systematic Zoology, University of Giessen, and, from 2005 onward, at the University of Hildesheim, Germany, where he currently is a professor in the Department of Biology. His main research interests are antler biology, mammalian odontology, bioarchaeology and palaeopathology, and ecotoxicology and bioindication.
Ivica Králová-Hromadová
Title of presentation: A tour around two continents – the origin and migratory routes of Fascioloides magna, the liver parasite of ruminants.
RNDr. Ivica Králová-Hromadová, PhD. (ORCID 0000-0003-0523-7093; RESEARCHER ID H-4327-2018) is the senior researcher and the director of the Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia and the head of the Laboratory of Population Genetics. Her research is primarily focused on the design of novel molecular markers applicable in molecular taxonomy and population genetics of medically and veterinary imported tapeworms (Cestoda) and flukes (Trematoda). The goal of her work is to study the patterns of the genetic structure on populations of parasites across different enzootic regions and natural foci in Europe and also the other continents. The core model parasites are giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna), a liver parasite of domestic and free-living ruminants, and diphyllobothriid tapeworms Dibothriocephalus latus and Dibothriocephalus dendriticus, the causative agents of diphyllobothriosis. The determination of their phylogenetic lineages, origin, and migratory routes has been performed by molecular and genetic analyses of mitochondrial genes, ribosomal subunits, and de novo designed polymorphic multilocus microsatellite markers. Originally designed microsatellite loci are applied in the population genetic studies focused on the dispersal history and colonization scenarios of introduced populations. The relation between the current distribution and historical migration of the hosts is researched as well.
Title of presentation: A tour around two continents – the origin and migratory routes of Fascioloides magna, the liver parasite of ruminants.
RNDr. Ivica Králová-Hromadová, PhD. (ORCID 0000-0003-0523-7093; RESEARCHER ID H-4327-2018) is the senior researcher and the director of the Institute of Parasitology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovakia and the head of the Laboratory of Population Genetics. Her research is primarily focused on the design of novel molecular markers applicable in molecular taxonomy and population genetics of medically and veterinary imported tapeworms (Cestoda) and flukes (Trematoda). The goal of her work is to study the patterns of the genetic structure on populations of parasites across different enzootic regions and natural foci in Europe and also the other continents. The core model parasites are giant liver fluke (Fascioloides magna), a liver parasite of domestic and free-living ruminants, and diphyllobothriid tapeworms Dibothriocephalus latus and Dibothriocephalus dendriticus, the causative agents of diphyllobothriosis. The determination of their phylogenetic lineages, origin, and migratory routes has been performed by molecular and genetic analyses of mitochondrial genes, ribosomal subunits, and de novo designed polymorphic multilocus microsatellite markers. Originally designed microsatellite loci are applied in the population genetic studies focused on the dispersal history and colonization scenarios of introduced populations. The relation between the current distribution and historical migration of the hosts is researched as well.
Tomás Landete-Castillejos
Tentative title: From a general anti-cancer treatment to deer osteoporosis: the consequences of antler as the fastest growing tissue.
Dr. Tomás Landete-Castillejos (Albacete, Spain, 1967) is a professor in Animal Science in the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), in the School of Agronomy (ETSIAM) and researcher of Spain’s national game institute (IREC). In 30 years of research career he has published 106 papers scientific papers in top ranking journals of around 15 research areas (half of them in Q1) always in different aspects of deer science: lactation, animal science, hard antler and bone biology, behaviour, nutrition, ecology, and lately, some of them in potential applications to medicine, such as anti-cancer effects of extracts of growing antler in glioblastoma (low survival brain cancer). He always enjoyed a multidisciplinary approach which led him and his team to carry out collaborations with many of the leading researchers working in deer. In addition to pursuing basic aspects of science (such as finding that deer produce more milk and with a different composition for sons compared to that for daughters), he always tried to support with science deer breeding in game estates (to improve trophies) or in farms. This led him to be president and vice-president of the European deer farmers first, and later to create and continue being elected as president of the only international association of the deer breeding and industry (IDUBA: https://iduba.info/) to transfer the scientific knowledge and technology to wild managers, farmers and companies in the sector. Among other studies on the potential benefits for human health in addition to the anti-cancer effects mentioned, are current ongoing research regarding deer osteoporosis, growing antler proteomics, or the potential applications of knowledge on the nutrition and other effects on mineral composition, mechanical properties and histology of the hard antler, which is a special type of bone.
Tentative title: From a general anti-cancer treatment to deer osteoporosis: the consequences of antler as the fastest growing tissue.
Dr. Tomás Landete-Castillejos (Albacete, Spain, 1967) is a professor in Animal Science in the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain), in the School of Agronomy (ETSIAM) and researcher of Spain’s national game institute (IREC). In 30 years of research career he has published 106 papers scientific papers in top ranking journals of around 15 research areas (half of them in Q1) always in different aspects of deer science: lactation, animal science, hard antler and bone biology, behaviour, nutrition, ecology, and lately, some of them in potential applications to medicine, such as anti-cancer effects of extracts of growing antler in glioblastoma (low survival brain cancer). He always enjoyed a multidisciplinary approach which led him and his team to carry out collaborations with many of the leading researchers working in deer. In addition to pursuing basic aspects of science (such as finding that deer produce more milk and with a different composition for sons compared to that for daughters), he always tried to support with science deer breeding in game estates (to improve trophies) or in farms. This led him to be president and vice-president of the European deer farmers first, and later to create and continue being elected as president of the only international association of the deer breeding and industry (IDUBA: https://iduba.info/) to transfer the scientific knowledge and technology to wild managers, farmers and companies in the sector. Among other studies on the potential benefits for human health in addition to the anti-cancer effects mentioned, are current ongoing research regarding deer osteoporosis, growing antler proteomics, or the potential applications of knowledge on the nutrition and other effects on mineral composition, mechanical properties and histology of the hard antler, which is a special type of bone.
Francisco Ceacero
For the last 15 years, Dr. Ceacero has focused his research on captive cervids with production purposes (in farms) and conservation (in zoos), allowing him to work with common and endangered species. His expertise areas are cervids farming, behaviour, nutrition, welfare, maternal investment, and antler biology (around 45 published scientific manuscripts on these topics). One of his main interests is to apply the knowledge generated from captive cervids to support the management, monitoring, and conservation of wild ones. Currently, he is working at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences - Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, where he is guarantee of the MSc degree subject “Deer Biology and Production” and head of the Animal Physiology & Behaviour Research team.
For the last 15 years, Dr. Ceacero has focused his research on captive cervids with production purposes (in farms) and conservation (in zoos), allowing him to work with common and endangered species. His expertise areas are cervids farming, behaviour, nutrition, welfare, maternal investment, and antler biology (around 45 published scientific manuscripts on these topics). One of his main interests is to apply the knowledge generated from captive cervids to support the management, monitoring, and conservation of wild ones. Currently, he is working at the Faculty of Tropical AgriSciences - Czech University of Life Sciences Prague, where he is guarantee of the MSc degree subject “Deer Biology and Production” and head of the Animal Physiology & Behaviour Research team.
Emily Latch
Provisional title: Integrating genetics to inform meaningful deer taxonomy: insights from the black-tailed and mule deer complex.
Dr. Emily Latch is a Professor of wildlife population genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Research in her lab focuses on using molecular methods to inform conservation and management of species in the wild and in captivity. Dr. Latch also advises the conservation and management community on the use of genetic approaches in wild populations through her work with conservation genetics specialist groups of the IUCN, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Society for Conservation Biology, and The Wildlife Society.
Provisional title: Integrating genetics to inform meaningful deer taxonomy: insights from the black-tailed and mule deer complex.
Dr. Emily Latch is a Professor of wildlife population genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Research in her lab focuses on using molecular methods to inform conservation and management of species in the wild and in captivity. Dr. Latch also advises the conservation and management community on the use of genetic approaches in wild populations through her work with conservation genetics specialist groups of the IUCN, Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Society for Conservation Biology, and The Wildlife Society.
Christian Nellemann
Title: Global threats to Deer conservation in a changing world
Christian Nellemann (Norway), PhD, Fulbright Fellow, has worked extensively in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Circumpolar Arctic. Nellemann has worked for a range of research institutions as both director, senior scientist and programme manager. His research has centered on range ecology of ungulates, pastoralism, anthropogenic disturbance and tactical and strategic use of terrain by wildlife, including reindeer/caribou, muskoxen, guanacos, elephants, Tibetan gazelles and brown bears. Nellemann has led over 30 global UN assessments on climate, habitat loss and conservation threats, and contributed to a range of conservation efforts including antipoaching programmes, US Presidential taskforce on Wildlife trafficking and conducted numerous briefings in US Congress, parliaments, Buckingham Palace, the EU and the UN.
Title: Global threats to Deer conservation in a changing world
Christian Nellemann (Norway), PhD, Fulbright Fellow, has worked extensively in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Circumpolar Arctic. Nellemann has worked for a range of research institutions as both director, senior scientist and programme manager. His research has centered on range ecology of ungulates, pastoralism, anthropogenic disturbance and tactical and strategic use of terrain by wildlife, including reindeer/caribou, muskoxen, guanacos, elephants, Tibetan gazelles and brown bears. Nellemann has led over 30 global UN assessments on climate, habitat loss and conservation threats, and contributed to a range of conservation efforts including antipoaching programmes, US Presidential taskforce on Wildlife trafficking and conducted numerous briefings in US Congress, parliaments, Buckingham Palace, the EU and the UN.