Affiliation:

Department of Biology. University of Rome Tor Vergata (retired)

Topics of interest:

Evolutionary ecology of mimicry, Theory of evolution, History of evolutionary biology and modern ecology

Biography:

S. Forestiero (1948), biologist, was a researcher in zoology at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. An evolutionary zoologist (taxonomy of day-flying moths zygene, biospeleology, general zoogeography), he researched on mimicry of the burnet moth Zygaena ephialtes L. in the laboratory and in nature. Since the 1980s, he has been involved in theoretical biology and later in teaching evolution. As an adjunct professor, he has also taught Fundamentals of biology, Biological evolution, Evolutionary ecology, Evolution and Communication in scientific and literary-philosophical courses.

In 1998, he promoted the establishment of what became in 2002 the Experimental Group for Interdisciplinary Teaching (GSDI) at Tor Vergata university. Among the conferences he helped to conceive and organize are those on Imitation (1994), Natural selection (1998), Biological evolution and its relationship with philosophy and theology (2009), Scientific evolutionism and religions (2010).

Recent works:

  • Densità e dispersione: una lettura biogeografica dello spazio vitale ratzeliano. In M. Marconi (a cura di), Spazio vitale. Un concetto geopolitico controverso (pp. 125-147). Carocci, Roma, 2025.
  • The historical nature of biological complexity and the ineffectiveness of the mathematical approach to it. Theory in Biosciences 141: 213–231, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1007/s12064-022-00369-7
  • Capire l’evoluzione. In S. Forestiero (a cura di), Evoluzione e religioni (pp. 17-36). Carocci, Roma, 2015.
  • L’errore e l’evoluzione. In S. Pedone & M. Tedeschini (a cura di), Errore (pp. 133-148). Sensibilia 7. Mimesis, Milano, 2015.
  • Natural selection. In A. Runehov & L. Oviedo (eds.), Encyclopedia of Sciences and Religions (pp. 1414-1416). Springer Netherlands, 2013.
  • Key concepts in evolution. Introduction. In G. Auletta, M. Leclerc & R. A. Martinez (eds.), Biological evolution: facts and theoris (pp. 75-79). GBP, Roma, 2011.
  • Ambiente, adattamento e costruzione della nicchia. In S. Casellato, P. Burighel & A. Minelli (eds.), Life and Time: The Evolution of Life and its History (pp. 253-283). Cleup, Padova, 2009.
  • Introduzione. In S. Forestiero & M. Stanzione (a cura di), Selezione e selezionismi (pp. 7-24). Franco Angeli, Milano, 2008.
  • Evoluzione: Selezione naturale. In Scienza e tecnica. Le scienze della vita. I (pp. 421-426). Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana, Roma, 2007.
  • Evoluzione biologica: quadro generale. In Scienza e tecnica. Le scienze della vita. I (pp. 403-409). Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana, Roma, 2007.
  • Complessità biologica. In Scienza e tecnica. Le scienze della vita. I (pp. 261-268). Istituto dell’Enciclopedia Italiana, Roma, 2007.
  • La sesta estinzione. Scienza e società, 1/2 (pp. 26-35). Università Bocconi, Milano, 2007.