Marcello De Vitis joined SGI in 2021 as our first Director of the Seeds of Success - Southeast program. Marcello brings with him extensive experience working in some of the leading seed banks and seed programs in the world. His educational background includes a PhD in Ecology & Management of Biological Resources from Tuscia University in Viterbo, Italy, an M.S. in Ecological Sciences, and a B.S. in Biological Sciences, both from Sapienza University in Rome. Recently we sat down with Marcello to learn a little more about him and his role at SGI.
Q: How did you get interested in nature and the outdoors?
That’s a good question. In high school, I was always super interested in biological sciences and studying life mechanisms, but I still knew even back then that I wanted to study them from an ecology perspective. When I was younger, it was always important to my parents that they have a little outdoor space for plants and animals. Maybe those early interactions growing up helped inspire my connection with the natural world. I don’t know. In many ways it was always just internal to me and a part of who I was.
Marcello monitoring one of the reintroduction plots of the plant he was studying for his PhD. Photo credit: Paolo Di Bacco
Q: How did you get interested in seed banking and seed conservation?
When I was working on my B.S. I got an internship at the Botanical Garden of Rome. For my internship I helped the seed bank manager receive seeds, collect seeds, clean seeds, test the seeds’ germination, prepare the seeds for storage, and do all those routine activities for the Seed Bank. And, I was like “Yes! Yes, this is what I want to do!” On top of that I realized how much I loved working in a place full of plant diversity where conservation and science happen. That was just super exciting to me and was really the beginning of my professional career and path into seeds.
After my internship, I did my Master’s thesis working on a project through the Seed Bank focused on an endangered plant species. That was when I realized that I had found my interest. Seed Banks are really a way to protect plant biodiversity and at the same time they give us an opportunity to study plants and to improve our protocols for saving the seeds for use in future conservation projects.
From there, my advisor encouraged me to contact the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in England. The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew is one of the largest botanic gardens in the world and is home to the Millennium Seed Bank. The Millennium Seed Bank is the largest seed bank in the world for wild species and they have these amazing objectives to collect and preserve seeds from all of the wild flora in the world. I was able to get a seasonal position working there which was an amazing experience because I was exposed to an even greater variety of specialists within the plant conservation and seed banking fields. That experience led to several years of collaboration which continued through my Ph.D. dissertation. It just all continued to build from there.
Q: You grew up in Italy and have worked, conducted research and field work, or studied in Italy, England, Spain, France, Portugal, Scotland, and the U.S. What inspired you to study and work in so many different places?
I’ve always been interested in experiencing life in different places, settings, and countries. I just love traveling and the feeling of a new place or the excitement of getting to know a place. I love looking at everything with fresh eyes. I guess I go wherever my heart (and my job) takes me.
Marcello monitoring one of the violet reintroduction plots at the Kankakee Sands Preserve in Indiana as part of his research at the Chicago Botanic Garden. Photo credit: Stephanie Frischie
Q: What were you doing before you came to SGI?
I did a post doc at the Chicago Botanic Garden where I worked on seed ecology and restoration of Midwest prairie violets. Violets like arrowleaf violet (Viola sagittata), lance-leaved violet (V. lanceolata), and prairie violet (V. pedatifida) are sought after in restoration of prairies in the Midwest, because they are important components of their habitats. They are the larval host of the endangered regal fritillary butterfly (Speyeria idalia). They produce seeds with elaiosomes, which benefits ants. They are also among the first to bloom in spring, so provide early nectar resources to insect pollinators. However, propagating these species for restoration purposes can be a challenge because previous research has shown very inconsistent patterns for germinating wild violets.
The seeds of temperate violets need to go through a winter period before they can come out of dormancy and germinate. When propagating plants, we can simulate a winter period with a pre-planting treatment called a cold moist stratification. However, several violet species have shown high within-population variability in their requirements for this pre-treatment. That can present multiple challenges when propagating seeds for restoration.
My research at the Chicago Botanic Garden had two parts. First, I was researching whether the dormancy requirements are controlled more by the genetics of the seed or by the environmental conditions. Second, I was studying whether propagation practices aimed at filling plant quotas for restoration might inadvertently impose a genetic selection on the species used in the restoration. So, if we only use the fastest germinating violet seeds in restoration projects, are we only reintroducing a small percentage of the population’s genetic diversity when it comes to germination rates? I learned a lot during my time at the Chicago Botanic Garden, improved my research skills, and acquired new skills in teaching, mentoring, and grant writing.
Q: What is your role within SGI?
My official title is the Director of the Seeds of Success – Southeast program. In addition to managing the Seeds of Success program for the southeastern U.S., I also manage our Plant it Forward program and other projects dealing with seeds and restoration. Basically, I oversee many of our projects focused on collecting, preserving, and propagating seeds that can then be used as a source for restoration by us or our stakeholders. We are also working on ecoregional scales so we want to make sure that the seeds we collect are being used for restoration in the appropriate ecoregions.
Marcello and Dwayne Estes at Dunbar Cave Prairie in Clarksville, Tennessee. Photo credit: Stephanie Frischie
Q: What are you most excited about when it comes to working with SGI?
My biggest excitement is to be part of something like the seed program as it is starting from scratch. I love the challenge of being able to apply all the things that I’ve learned and the skills that I have acquired so far into shaping and building something. I feel a lot of responsibility, but I’m guided by the project goals and being able to do this collaboratively. I believe that collaboration is vital, because I don’t know everything and I’m humble enough to admit that and ask for help on the parts I don’t know. So, the thing that I am most excited about is also the biggest challenge and responsibility. I also feel very supported by everyone at SGI both professionally and personally.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
I have one big hobby which is pretty recent because I just started about 3 years ago when I was in Chicago, but that is playing volleyball. It started out as just a social sport, but I ended up getting super excited and enthusiastic about it. For me, playing volleyball is a social activity, a way to relieve stress, and a way to be more physically active. I also love hiking and exploring natural areas, but that’s probably something everyone at SGI enjoys. I also like to read and do little DIY projects around my apartment.
SHANNON TRIMBOLI, INTERIM DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Shannon helps the Southeastern Grasslands Initiative tell the forgotten and untold stories of our Southeastern grasslands.