Profile
Antonino Malacrino
Biological Sciences
Assistant Professor
Long Hall 142 [Office]
Educational Background
Ph.D., Agriculture, University of Palermo (Italy), 2017
Profile/About Me
I’m a molecular ecologist mainly interested in plant microbiomes. My research is a blend of theory drawn from evolutionary biology, community ecology, and multitrophic interactions, combined with cutting-edge tools in molecular biology, experimental evolution, high-throughput sequencing, and high-performance computing to delve deep into the mechanisms governing the interplay between plants and their microbiomes. My research focuses on answering important fundamental questions: how do microbiomes influence plant ecology and evolution? Which are the rules behind the assembly of plant microbial communities? Can we assemble/evolve microbiomes to drive changes in plant functional traits?
Research Interests
– Plant genome – microbiome interactions
– Effect of wildfires on soil microbiomes and plant health
– Select and evolve microbiomes to implement novel functional traits
– Understanding the rules behind plant microbiomes assembly
– Do microbes help invasive species?
– Microbiomes influence plant evolution
– Plant-microbiome-insect interactions
Courses Taught
MICR 4040/6040 Microbial Ecology
Selected Publications
Hopkins JR, Vizzari G, Bennett AE, Malacrinò A (2025). Fire limits soil microbial dispersal and differentially impacts bacterial and fungal communities. Global Change Biology. DOI:10.1111/gcb.70386.
Schäfer M*, Malacrinò A*, Walcher C, [...], Xu S (2025). Aphid herbivory on macrophytes drives adaptive evolution in an aquatic community via indirect effects. PNAS. DOI:10.1073/pnas.2502742122. * co-first author.
Bordenstein SR, Gilbert MTP, Ginnan G, Malacrinò A, [...], Alberdi A (2024). The disciplinary matrix of holobiont biology. Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.ado2152. *part of the The Holobiont Biology Network.
Bennett AE, Kelsey S, Saup C, Wilkins M, Malacrinò A (2024). Selenium alters the gene content but not the taxonomic composition of the soil microbiome. Environmental Microbiome. DOI: 10.1186/s40793-024-00641-x.
Malacrinò A, Bennett A (2024). Soil microbiota and herbivory drive the assembly of tomato plant-associated microbial communities through different mechanisms. Communications Biology. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06259-6.
Zakaria Mohamed N, Schena L, Malacrinò A (2024). Lettuce seedlings rapidly assemble their microbiome from the environment through deterministic processes. Rhizosphere. DOI: 10.1016/j.rhisph.2024.100896.
Malacrinò A, Böttner L, Nouere S, Huber M, Schäfer M, Xu S (2024). Induced responses contribute to rapid plant adaptation to herbivory. Communications Biology. DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05706-0.
Böttner L, Malacrinò A, Schulze CG, van Deenen N, Müller B, Xu S, Gershenzon J, Prüfer D, Huber M (2023). Natural rubber reduces herbivory and alters the microbiome below ground. New Phytologist. DOI: 10.1111/nph.18709.
Malacrinò A, Abdelfattah A, Berg G, Benitez MS, Bennett AE, Böttner L, Xu S, Schena L (2022). Exploring microbiomes for plant disease management. Biological Control. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocontrol.2022.104890. Invited paper.
Malacrinò A (2022).Host species identity shapes the diversity and structure of insect microbiota. Molecular Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/mec.16285. Harry Smith Prize 2023.
Honors and Awards
Harry Smith Prize 2023. This prize is awarded to the best paper published in Molecular Ecology or Molecular Ecology Resources during the previous year by an early-career scholar.
