Alessandro Cresci

Research Scientist

Institute of Marine Research
Ecosystem Acoustics Group
Austevoll Research Station
Sauganeset 16
N-5392 Storebø, NORWAY
Tel. +47 48 50 62 96
Email: alessandro.cresci@hi.no
or alessandrocresci90@gmail.com

ORCID iD iconorcid.org/0000-0001-5099-3520
See Alessandro’s Google Scholar Author Profile

For the period 2020-2022, Alessandro was a Young Ambassador for the European Marine Board

Education

B.Sc. (2012) in Biological Sciences, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
M.Sc. (2014) in Biology of Marine Production, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Ph.D. (2015-2019) in Biological Oceanography, University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science

Areas of expertise and interest

My research is focused on the orientation of early life stages of aquatic animals. In particular, I investigate how during the first phases of their life history, marine animals use the earth’s magnetic field to orient in their environment. My current experimental work is on the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). This species performs a long migration across the Atlantic Ocean and is now critically endangered. The objective is to understand how young eels use the magnetic field to navigate and successfully recruit to the continental waters of Europe. However, my research expands also to fish larvae belonging to multiple different species, in order to provide new insights on their orientation behavior and to evaluate the importance of such behavior in the ecological context. For this purpose, experimental results are integrated in numerical models to understand how the orientation behavior affects the transport and the recruitment of young marine fish.

Find out more about Alessandro from his CV.

Publications

Static magnetic fields reduce swimming activity of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae

Cresci, A., C.M.F. Durif, T. Larsen, R. Bjelland, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2024. Static magnetic fields reduce swimming activity of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae. ICES Journal of Marine Science. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsad205.
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Read a story about the work (In Norwegian)

Determining the directionality of anthropogenic noise using an underwater acoustic vector sensor: a case study in a Norwegian fjord

Zhang, G., A. Cresci & H.I. Browman. 2023. Determining the directionality of anthropogenic noise using an underwater acoustic vector sensor: a case study in a Norwegian fjord. Acta Acustica. doi: 10.1051/aacus/2023043.
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Read a story about the work

The evolving story of catadromy in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla)

Durif, C.M.F., M. Arts, F. Bertolini, A. Cresci, F. Daverat, E. Karlsbakk, J. Koprivnikar, E. Moland, E. Moland Olsen, C. Parzanini, M. Power, M. Rohtla, A.B. Skiftesvik, E. Thorstad, L.A. Vøllestad & H.I. Browman. 2023. The evolving story of catadromy in the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). ICES Journal of Marine Science. doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsad149.
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Early ontogeny of the lesser sandeel (Ammodytes marinus)

Perrichon, P., R. Bjelland, C.M.F. Durif, I. Uglenes Fiksdal, E. Johnsen, A.B. Skiftesvik, A. Cresci, H.I. Browman & E. Sørhus. 2023. Early ontogeny of the lesser sandeel (Ammodytes marinus). Development Dynamics 252: 1280-1291. doi: 10.1002/dvdy.634.
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Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae are attracted by low-frequency noise simulating that of operating offshore wind farms

Cresci, A., G. Zhang, C.M.F. Durif, T. Larsen, S. Shema, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2023. Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) larvae are attracted by low-frequency noise simulating that of operating offshore wind farms. Communications Biology. doi: 10.1038/s42003-023-04728-y.
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Read the press release
Read a story about the work in Hakai Magazine
Read a story about the work

Magnetic fields produced by subsea high voltage DC cables reduce swimming activity of haddock larvae (Melanogrammus aeglefinus)

Cresci, A., C.M.F. Durif, T. Larsen, R. Bjelland, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2022.Magnetic fields produced by subsea high voltage DC cables reduce swimming activity of haddock larvae (Melanogrammus aeglefinus). PNAS Nexus. doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgac175.
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Read a story about the work
Read a story about the work (in Norwegian)

Magnetic fields generated by the DC cables of offshore wind farms have no effect on spatial preference or swimming behavior of lesser sandeel larvae (Ammodytes marinus)

Cresci, A., P. Perrichon, C.M.F. Durif, E. Sørhus, E. Johnsen, R. Bjelland, T. Larsen, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2022. Magnetic fields generated by the DC cables of offshore wind farms have no effect on spatial preference or swimming behavior of lesser sandeel larvae (Ammodytes marinus). Marine Environmental Research. doi: 10.1016/j.marenvres.2022.105609. Editor’s choice article.
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Goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris) have a sex-dependent magnetic compass for maintaining site fidelity

Cresci, A., T. Larsen, K.T. Halvorsen, C.M.F. Durif, R.M. Bjelland, H.I. Browman & A.B. Skiftesvik. 2022. Goldsinny wrasse (Ctenolabrus rupestris) have a sex-dependent magnetic compass for maintaining site fidelity. Fisheries Oceanography 31: 164–171. doi: 10.1111/fog.12569.
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Read stories about the work HERE and HERE (in Norwegian)

A unifying hypothesis for the spawning migrations of temperate anguillid eels

Durif, C.M.F., H.H. Stockhausen, A.B. Skiftesvik, A. Cresci, D. Nyqvist & H.I. Browman. 2021. A unifying hypothesis for the spawning migrations of temperate anguillid eels. Fish and Fisheries 23: 358-375. doi: 10.1111/faf.12621.
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Read the press release
Read a story about the paper in The Economist
Read a story about the work (in Norwegian)

Addressing underwater noise in Europe: Current state of knowledge and future priorities

Thomsen, F., Mendes, S., Bertucci, F., Breitzke, M., Ciappi, E., Cresci, A. Debusschere, E., Ducatel, C., Folegot, F., Juretzek, C., Lam, F-P., O’Brien, J., dos Santos, M. E. 2021. Addressing underwater noise in Europe: Current state of knowledge and future priorities. Kellett, P., van den Brand, R., Alexander, B., Muniz Piniella, A., Rodriguez Perez, A., van Elslander, J., Heymans, J. J. [Eds.] Future Science Brief 7 of the European Marine Board, Ostend, Belgium. ISSN: 2593-5232. ISBN: 9789464206104. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.5534224.
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Movement patterns of temperate wrasses (Labridae) within a small marine protected area

Halvorsen, K.T., T. Larsen, H.I. Browman, C.M.F. Durif, N. Aasen, L.A. Vøllestad, A. Cresci, T.K. Sørdalen, R. Bjelland & A.B. Skiftesvik. 2021. Movement patterns of temperate wrasses (Labridae) within a small marine protected area. Journal of Fish Biology. 99: 1513-1518. doi: 10.1111/jfb.14825.
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The lunar compass of European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) increases the probability that they recruit to North Sea coasts

Cresci, A., A.D. Sandvik, P. Næverlid Sævik, B. Ådlandsvik, M.J. Olascoaga, P. Miron, C. M. F. Durif, A. B. Skiftesvik, H. I. Browman & F. Vikebø. 2020. The lunar compass of European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) increases the probability that they recruit to North Sea coasts. Fisheries Oceanography. doi:10.1111/fog.12521.
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Read an article about the work

Effects of exposure to low concentrations of oil on expression of cytochrome P4501a and routine swimming speed of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae in situ

Cresci, A., C.B. Paris, H.I. Browman, A.B. Skiftesvik, S. Shema, R. Bjelland, C.M.F. Durif, M. Foretich, C. Di Persia, V. Lucchese, F.B. Vikebø & E. Sørhus. 2020. Effects of exposure to low concentrations of oil on expression of cytochrome P4501a and routine swimming speed of Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae in situ. Environmental Science & Technology 54: 13879-13887, doi: 10.1021/acs.est.0c04889.
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Read an article about the work

From the Big Apple to the fjords of Norway: pursuing marine science dreams during a pandemic

Cresci, A. 2020. From the Big Apple to the fjords of Norway: pursuing marine science dreams during a pandemic. Blog post for the European Marine Board.
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A comprehensive hypothesis on the migration of European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla)

Cresci, A. 2020. A comprehensive hypothesis on the migration of European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla). Biological Reviews. doi: 10.1111/brv.12609.
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Orientation behavior and swimming speed of Atlantic herring larvae (Clupea harengus) in situ and in laboratory exposures to rotated artificial magnetic fields

Cresci, A., B.J.M. Allan, S. Shema, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2020. Orientation behavior and swimming speed of Atlantic herring larvae (Clupea harengus) in situ and in laboratory exposures to rotated artificial magnetic fields. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 526 (2020) 151358.
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Magnetic and celestial orientation of migrating European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla)

Cresci, A. 2020. Magnetic and celestial orientation of migrating European glass eels (Anguilla anguilla). Ph.D. dissertation, University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, USA.
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The relationship between the moon cycle and the orientation of glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) at sea

Cresci, A., C. M. F. Durif, C. B. Paris, C. Thompson, S. Shema, A. B. Skiftesvik and H. I. Browman. 2019. The relationship between the moon cycle and the orientation of glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) at sea. Royal Society Open Science. 6: 190812, doi: 10.1098/rsos.190812
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Read the press release, a story (with radio interview) about the work on CBC Canada, and a story on Mongabay.

Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) imprint the magnetic direction of tidal currents from their juvenile estuaries

Cresci, A, C.B. Paris, C.M.F. Durif, S. Shema, C. Thompson, R. Bjelland, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2019. Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) imprint the magnetic direction of tidal currents from their juvenile estuaries.  Communications Biology (2019) 2:366. doi: 10.1038/s42003-019-0619-8.
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Read the press release and read an article about the work in New Scientist

Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae have a magnetic compass that guides their orientation

Cresci, A., C.B. Paris, M.A. Foretich, C.M.F. Durif, S. Shema, C.J. E. O’Brien, F.B. Vikebø, A.B. Skiftesvik, & H.I. Browman. 2019. Atlantic haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus) larvae have a magnetic compass that guides their orientation. iScience. 19: 1173-1178, doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2019.09.001.
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Read the press release and a story about the work in Hakai Magazine

A behavioral protocol to assess the influence of personality on sensitivity to magnetic fields in zebrafish

Cresci, A., R. De Rosa & C. Agnisola. 2019. A behavioral protocol to assess the influence of personality on sensitivity to magnetic fields in zebrafish. Journal of Visual Experiments 145: e59229, doi:10.3791/59229.
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Zebrafish “personality” influences the sensitivity to magnetic fields

Cresci A., De Rosa R., Frassinet S., Scanu M., Putman N. F., Agnisola C. 2018. Zebrafish “personality” influences the sensitivity to magnetic fields. Acta Ethologica. DOI: 10.1007/s10211-018-0292-9.
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Exposure to teflubenzuron negatively impacts exploratory behavior, learning and activity of juvenile European lobster (Homarus gammarus).

Cresci, A, O.B. Samuelsen, C.M.F. Durif, R.M. Bjelland, A.B. Skiftesvik, H.I. Browman & A.-L Agnalt. 2018. Exposure to teflubenzuron negatively impacts exploratory behavior, learning and activity of juvenile European lobster (Homarus gammarus). Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 160: 216-221.
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Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) have a magnetic compass linked to the tidal cycle.

Cresci, A., C.B. Paris, C.M.F. Durif, S. Shema, R. Bjelland, A.B. Skiftesvik & H.I. Browman. 2017. Glass eels (Anguilla anguilla) have a magnetic compass linked to the tidal cycle. Science Advances 3: e1602007, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1602007.
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Read the press release
Read the New York Times article about the work

Earth-strength magnetic field affects the rheotactic threshold of zebrafish swimming in shoals.

Cresci, A., R. De Rosa, N.F. Putman & C. Agnisola. 2017. Earth-strength magnetic field affects the rheotactic threshold of zebrafish swimming in shoals. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Molecular & Integrative Physiology 204: 169-176.
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Last updated: December 27, 2023