European Alpine Region Research Articles

Soil moisture precipitation feedbacks in the Eastern European Alpine region in convection-permitting climate simulations.

A novel convection permitting modelling framework that combines a pseudo-global warming approach with continuously forced deep soil moisture from prescribed perturbation storylines is applied in the Eastern European Alpine region and parts of the Pannonian Basin to investigate soil moisture precipitation (SMP) feedbacks on summertime precipitation and the feedbacks' role under changed climate conditions. A set of 1-year convection-permitting (3 km horizontal grid spacing) soil moisture sensitivity simulations with the regional climate model of the Consortium for Small-Scale Modelling in Climate Mode are conducted. In order to account for global warming, end-of-the-century climate change effects from four global climate models, projecting the greenhouse gas concentration scenario RCP 8.5, are imprinted. The simulations reveal that (1) the locations of precipitation events are highly sensitive to soil moisture modifications while intensities and the internal structure of precipitation events are nearly unaffected and (2) high precipitation intensities are more likely in combinations with positive temporal but distinctive (either strong positive or strong negative) spatial SMP coupling. Low precipitation intensities are in favour of combinations of negative temporal and positive spatial coupling. The analyses suggest that soil moisture at a given time acts as a guiding field for the location of the next precipitation event. Interestingly, this behaviour is independent of climate change, although the coupling strength's increase is 1.5-1.7 times larger than expected from linear climate change scaling when climate becomes 50% dryer. Finally, it is found that (1) local deviations in the climate change signal of summertime precipitation in the range of up to ±40% are caused by uncertainty in deep soil moisture in the range of ±10% and (2) these local deviations in the climate change signal are dominated by soil moisture uncertainty in future climate conditions.

Landscape Strategies for Terraced Landscapes in the European Alpine Region Using a Mixed-Method Analysis Tool

Terraced landscapes are anthropic landscapes that need continuous management. Future planning policies need to develop bottom-up approaches in order to be able to take into consideration the perspectives of decision makers (DMs) and civil society stakeholders (CSs). Using a participatory mixed-method approach, this research work identified and prioritized the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT analysis) perceived as key factors for setting future landscape strategies. The aims were (i) to develop a methodological framework for the enhancement of the terraced landscapes using a bottom-up approach, (ii) to identify and rank the favorable and unfavorable factors affecting their management in the European Alpine Region, and (iii) to develop alternative and future landscape strategies. The methodology was applied in nine Italian and Swiss cross-border terraced landscapes. An online focus group was organized together with a decision maker from each study area in order to identify the SWOT items for their enhancement. Subsequently, a focus group for each study area was organized with civil society stakeholders. They prioritized the SWOT items based on the local context and territorial issues using a cumulative voting method. The results were normalized, and these allowed for the development of local and supralocal landscape strategies that were both common to the cross-border terraced landscapes and specific to the main land uses characterizing them.

Updated trends of the stratospheric ozone vertical distribution in the 60° S–60° N latitude range based on the LOTUS regression model

Abstract. This study presents an updated evaluation of stratospheric ozone profile trends in the 60∘ S–60∘ N latitude range over the 2000–2020 period using an updated version of the Long-term Ozone Trends and Uncertainties in the Stratosphere (LOTUS) regression model that was used to evaluate such trends up to 2016 for the last WMO Ozone Assessment (2018). In addition to the derivation of detailed trends as a function of latitude and vertical coordinates, the regressions are performed with the datasets averaged over broad latitude bands, i.e. 60–35∘ S, 20∘ S–20∘ N and 35–60∘ N. The same methodology as in the last assessment is applied to combine trends in these broad latitude bands in order to compare the results with the previous studies. Longitudinally resolved merged satellite records are also considered in order to provide a better comparison with trends retrieved from ground-based records, e.g. lidar, ozonesondes, Umkehr, microwave and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometers at selected stations where long-term time series are available. The study includes a comparison with trends derived from the REF-C2 simulations of the Chemistry Climate Model Initiative (CCMI-1). This work confirms past results showing an ozone increase in the upper stratosphere, which is now significant in the three broad latitude bands. The increase is largest in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere midlatitudes, with ∼2.2 ± 0.7 % per decade at ∼2.1 hPa and ∼2.1 ± 0.6 % per decade at ∼3.2 hPa respectively compared to ∼1.6 ± 0.6 % per decade at ∼2.6 hPa in the tropics. New trend signals have emerged from the records, such as a significant decrease in ozone in the tropics around 35 hPa and a non-significant increase in ozone in the southern midlatitudes at about 20 hPa. Non-significant negative ozone trends are derived in the lowermost stratosphere, with the most pronounced trends in the tropics. While a very good agreement is obtained between trends from merged satellite records and the CCMI-1 REF-C2 simulation in the upper stratosphere, observed negative trends in the lower stratosphere are not reproduced by models at southern and, in particular, at northern midlatitudes, where models report an ozone increase. However, the lower-stratospheric trend uncertainties are quite large, for both measured and modelled trends. Finally, 2000–2020 stratospheric ozone trends derived from the ground-based and longitudinally resolved satellite records are in reasonable agreement over the European Alpine and tropical regions, while at the Lauder station in the Southern Hemisphere midlatitudes they show some differences.

Thyroid Angiosarcoma Complicated by Neck Hematoma

Abstract Background: Primary angiosarcoma of the thyroid is a rare, aggressive thyroid malignancy most typically found in the Alpine regions of Europe. We present a case of non-Alpine thyroid angiosarcoma complicated by recurrent surgical bed hematoma. Case: An 81-year-old Albanian man presented with two months of dyspnea and hemoptysis and was found to have a large thyroid mass, multiple subcentimeter pulmonary nodules, and a left pleural effusion seen on CTA of the chest. He had a suppressed TSH < 0.008 uIU/mL (n 0.400-4.200 uIU/mL) on presentation with a normal free T4 (1.36 ng/dL; n 0.80-1.50 ng/dL) and total T3 (107 ng/dL; n 87-178 ng/dL). Labs from 3 years prior were consistent with prior subclinical hyperthyroidism: TSH 0.28 uIU/mL, free T4 1.35 ng/dL, and free T3 3.98 pg/mL (n 2-4.4 pg/mL). A thyroid ultrasound was performed and showed multiple bilateral thyroid nodules, the largest of which was 6.0 x 7.8 x 5.4 cm in the right lower pole. He had no compressive symptoms and was clinically euthyroid. FNA of the nodule was non-diagnostic and cytology of the pleural fluid was negative for malignancy. He underwent a bronchoscopy which showed blood clots without endobronchial lesions, VATS with pleural biopsy, and right hemithyroidectomy. Pathology showed high grade epithelioid malignancy arranged in solid, variably discohesive nests and sheets, associated with vague vasoformative features and hemorrhage. Immunostains were diffusely and strongly positive for ERG as well as CD31 and AE1/3, but negative for PAX-8, TTF-1, and thyroglobulin, supporting a diagnosis of angiosarcoma. The remainder of the thyroid tissue was non-neoplastic with multinodular hyperplasia. After initial discharge, he re-presented on post-op day 10 with bleeding from the surgical site. CT of the neck showed extensive hematoma (10.3 x 5.0 x 8.7 cm) and he was taken back to the OR for evacuation. Residual tumor tissue found along the R carotid artery was determined to be the culprit. Over the next month the patient remained admitted for supportive transfusions, and palliative radiation to the pulmonary nodules and the residual tumor was initiated. His hospitalization was complicated by a proximal lower extremity DVT, which was treated with an IVC filter. Repeat chest imaging at six weeks showed new and progressive pulmonary nodules. Upon completion of 3 weeks of RT the patient was discharged debilitated, fatigued, and using supplemental oxygen. His family elected to pursue hospice care. Conclusion: This case represents a rare, aggressive malignancy complicated by extrathyroidal extension and recurrent hematoma resulting in severe morbidity and precluding further systemic interventions. These highly vascular tumors likely present an elevated risk for postoperative hematoma which clinicians should recognize.

Impacts of fertilization on grassland productivity and water quality across the European Alps under current and warming climate: insights from a mechanistic model

Abstract. Alpine grasslands sustain local economy by providing fodder for livestock. Intensive fertilization is common to enhance their yields, thus creating negative externalities on water quality that are difficult to evaluate without reliable estimates of nutrient fluxes. We apply a mechanistic ecosystem model, seamlessly integrating land-surface energy balance, soil hydrology, vegetation dynamics, and soil biogeochemistry, aiming at assessing the grassland response to fertilization. We simulate the major water, carbon, nutrient, and energy fluxes of nine grassland plots across the broad European Alpine region. We provide an interdisciplinary model evaluation by confirming its performance against observed variables from different datasets. Subsequently, we apply the model to test the influence of fertilization practices on grassland yields and nitrate (NO3-) losses through leaching under both current and modified climate scenarios. Despite the generally low NO3- concentration in groundwater recharge, the variability across sites is remarkable, which is mostly (but not exclusively) dictated by elevation. In high-Alpine sites, short growing seasons lead to less efficient nitrogen (N) uptake for biomass production. This combined with lower evapotranspiration rates results in higher amounts of drainage and NO3- leaching to groundwater. Scenarios with increased temperature lead to a longer growing season characterized by higher biomass production and, consequently, to a reduction of water leakage and N leaching. While the intersite variability is maintained, climate change impacts are stronger on sites at higher elevations. The local soil hydrology has a crucial role in driving the NO3- use efficiency. The commonly applied fixed threshold limit on fertilizer N input is suboptimal. We suggest that major hydrological and soil property differences across sites should be considered in the delineation of best practices or regulations for management. Using distributed maps informed with key soil and climatic attributes or systematically implementing integrated ecosystem models as shown here can contribute to achieving more sustainable practices.

Interstadial conditions over the Southern Alps during the early penultimate glacial (MIS 6): a multiproxy record from Rio Martino Cave (Italy)

Identifying the hydrological and environmental response of the European Alpine region to different combinations of climate boundary conditions is crucial to advance the reliability of predictive climate models and thus shape climate adaptation policies that will impact millions of people in seven countries. Here we present a high-resolution multiproxy speleothem record (stable oxygen and carbon isotope ratios, petrography and magnetic properties) from Rio Martino Cave (Piedmont, Southern Alps, Italy), which covers the first part of the Penultimate Glacial (early MIS 6, 182–157 ka). During early MIS 6, the combination of high climatic precession and obliquity amplified the peak in Northern Hemisphere (NH) summer insolation intensity at ca. 174 ka to almost interglacial levels, leading to northward migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone and the enhancement of the boreal monsoon system. At orbital scale, the hydroclimatic record from Rio Martino closely follows the precession pattern, and shows a wet interstadial phase between 180 and 170 ka, peaking at the precession minimum, characterized by glacial retreat and by the likely development of soils and vegetation up to 1900–2000 m a.s.l. in this alpine sector. This phase can be traced across the Southern Alps, and corresponds to pluvial conditions inferred from Western Mediterranean records, and to the interval of deposition of the cold Sapropel S6 in the eastern Mediterranean. We suggest that the interaction between an intensified northwesterly cold flow (relating to increased ice volume under glacial conditions), and the relatively warm waters of the NW Mediterranean (due to the peculiar atmospheric configuration occurring at the precession minimum) strongly enhanced the autumn cyclogenesis in the Northern Tyrrhenian Sea, fuelling intense precipitation to reach the Southern Alps. The Rio Martino record also shows a prominent sub-orbital variability, the overall structure of which is coherent with hemispheric changes in climate driven by cyclic perturbations of North Atlantic conditions related to the operation of the bipolar seesaw.

Climate Adaptation Strategies and Associated Governance Structures in Mountain Areas. The Case of the Alpine Regions

Adaptation to climate change raises important governance issues in terms of governance structures and mechanisms, stakeholders’ involvement, and links with the existing and wider-scale strategies. Notwithstanding the increasing attention at the global and European level, precise recommendations for the governance of climate change at the geographical macro-regional level are still lacking. Macro-regions span several states with some common morphological or climatic features and adopt wider-scale strategies which are not mandatory or do not take sufficient account of the specificities of any included regions. Each region is differently administered and adopts specific climate adaptation strategies for addressing just the challenges of the territories they govern, without considering the effects on the neighbouring ones. They also decentralize the climate policies towards the lowest levels of government, and this has increased the number of local bodies involved and promoted the participation of non-governmental players and citizens. Within the macro-regions, local climate conditions and their changes can be similar; however, their impacts can vary significantly at the individual territory level, and their effects can extend beyond traditional administrative boundaries. Dealing with these changes is particularly challenging in the Alpine area, which extends across 48 regions/autonomous provinces belonging to eight different European countries and is governed by three different international/transnational strategies. This territory represents a fragile ecosystem due to the current climate changes, which have influenced the climate conditions differently at the local level, as well as the richness of natural resources, and the opportunity to exploit them for economic reasons. South Tyrol (IT) is one of the autonomous provinces located in this area that is currently addressing the expected and unexpected impacts of climate change. Unlike other Italian Alpine regions, this region boasts a wider legislative autonomy, which enables the creation of more targeted climate adaptation policies and their decentralisation to the lowest level of administration, including the non-governmental players and citizens. As a result, the climate adaptation governance framework appears complex and hard to govern due to the plurality of actors and governmental levels at Alpine and regional/provincial levels. The present article sheds light on this framework, analysing specifically the three above-mentioned governance issues: governance structures, stakeholders’ involvement mechanisms, and links with the existing wider-scales strategies. While discussing these topics, it then refers specifically to South Tyrol for the case study. Based on the documental analysis of the climate adaptation strategies and resultant findings, the preferred governance mechanism for addressing the specific climate adaptation challenges of Alpine regions would involve adopting some of the regulations included in regional mono-sectoral plans. These regulations do not relate to wider-scale strategies at the macro-regional level and refer just to the administered territories. The participation of local institutions and citizens in defining and implementing these regulations is limited and not incentivized. Although important, interactions across Alpine, national, and sub-national policy domains are limited. These limitations are revealed in South Tyrol and partially also in other European Alpine regions.

The dilemma of opportunity in developing a life cycle assessment of emerging aquaculture systems - a case study of a Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) hatchery recirculating aquaculture system.

Eurasian perch (Perca fluviatilis) has been identified as an aquaculture species that can contribute to supply and supplement wild stocks for niche markets in European alpine regions. As a species earmarked for expansion it is important to benchmark the environmental impact associated with its production. The case study site presented a dilemma of opportunity (the dilemma of carrying out a study to inform production processes, at the beginning or development of a product/system or to wait until it is established and in steady state). This dilemma is often a limiting factor in the assessment of emerging systems or products and as a result this site was data deficient in a number of areas (energy use, growth rate and water use) which required the use of an ab initio approach to overcome these gaps. Data for growth, oxygen and heating were modelled for one kilogram of fish to the farmgate for 2018. The generated data was investigated for environmental impact using life cycle assessment (LCA). Impact categories included in the study were global warming potential (GWP), acidification potential (AP), eutrophication potential (EP), freshwater and marine ecotoxicity potential (FAETP and MAETP), cumulative energy demand (CED), net primary production use (NPPU) and water use. The results indicated that there was high variability between the inputs, outputs and impacts associated with the production of perch to the farmgate. The highest variability was observed in live feed use and energy inputs between the batches. This was related to egg quality and the survival rates of the batches. The nursery stage of production was found to have the greatest environmental burden of all stages. EP was dominated by emissions from the stock. Electricity use and feed were the greatest contributors to GWP, AP and FAETP. Electricity and heating had the greatest share of CED and MAETP. Water use (using the AWARE methodology) was dominated by feed production, fish culture and electricity generation. The result of this analysis echoes that of similar studies in that the dominant contributors to the life cycle impacts of RAS products are electricity and feed. This study constitutes the first LCA of perch production in RAS. In addition to this, the study also outlines a framework and methodology, which can be used to overcome the dilemma of opportunity when assessing the environmental burden of an emerging aquaculture system or species. This approach allows operators to overcome data deficits, which may exist and implement impact strategies prior to the finalisation of the process or system.

Intensive slurry management and climate change promote nitrogen mining from organic matter-rich montane grassland soils

AimsConsequences of climate change and land use intensification on the nitrogen (N) cycle of organic-matter rich grassland soils in the alpine region remain poorly understood. We aimed to identify fates of fertilizer N and to determine the overall N balance of an organic-matter rich grassland in the European alpine region as influenced by intensified management and warming.MethodsWe combined 15N cattle slurry labelling with a space for time climate change experiment, which was based on translocation of intact plant-soil mesocosms down an elevational gradient to induce warming of +1 °C and + 3 °C. Mesocosms were subject to either extensive or intensive management. The fate of slurry-N was traced in the plant-soil system.ResultsGrassland productivity was very high (8.2 t - 19.4 t dm ha−1 yr−1), recovery of slurry 15N in mowed plant biomass was, however, low (9.6–14.7%), illustrating low fertilizer N use efficiency and high supply of plant available N via mineralization of soil organic matter (SOM). Higher 15N recovery rates (20.2–31.8%) were found in the soil N pool, dominated by recovery in unextractable N. Total 15N recovery was approximately half of the applied tracer, indicating substantial loss to the environment. Overall, high N export by harvest (107–360 kg N ha−1 yr−1) markedly exceeded N inputs, leading to a negative grassland N balance.ConclusionsHere provided results suggests a risk of soil N mining in montane grasslands, which increases both under climate change and land use intensification.

Harmonized mapping of forests with a protection function against rockfalls over European Alpine countries

Forest covers 40% of the European Alpine region and contributes to the protection of human beings and infrastructures against natural hazards such as rockfalls. However, despite the recognition of this ecosystem service, most mountain territories do not have a map of protection forests. When a map exists, it generally depends on data restricted to a limited extent, which prevents any replication or comparison on other areas. The aim of this study is to develop a method using harmonized and open data to produce the first map of protection forests against rockfalls at the European Alpine region scale. Based on these data, we first identified potential rockfall release areas and calibrated the model according to 2812 real rockfall events located around the Alps. Second, 46.5 billion 3-D rockfall propagation simulations, taking into account topography, land use and human assets, were computed on the entire area. Protection forest is defined as being located on at least one rockfall trajectory that had impacted human assets. Our results show that 14% of the forests have a potential protection function against rockfalls in the Alpine Space region. This proportion goes up to 21.5%, if we consider only the core of the Alpine area. 80% of the protection forest area contributes to mitigate rockfall hazard on road network, 55% on buildings and only 6% on railways. This work provides a robust, objective and reproducible method for locating protection forests on a large geographical scale. Such a map may serve as a basis for national and European risk management policies.

Iron Age farming in the Central European Alpine and Dinaric regions; crop occurrence and distribution

The main objective of this paper was to holistically describe the occurrence of most important crop taxa found in different archaeological Iron Age sites in two selected biogeographical regions of Central Europe; in the Alpine and the Dinaric mountains. This study also links the known results of research about the ecological-biogeographical conditions in the Central Europe during the Iron Age time with the papers that include archaeobotanical data of the selected European landscapes as well. It is evident that many factors played crucial roles in the domestication process of many different plant taxa. This study showed that both the Alpine and the Dinaric region of Europe show similar ecological conditions for successfully growing important legumes and cereal taxa. The percentage of found cereal taxa is higher in the Dinaric region as it is in the Alps. In most archaeological sites in the Dinaric mountains, there were no evidence of the productionof pulses at all. However, if comparing the whole repertoire of cultivated plant taxa in the Iron Age epoch in both studied regions, one can conclude that there is not much difference in the number of cultivated planted taxa in the Iron Age epoch.

Systematic revision of the Tubifera casparyi–T. dictyoderma complex: Resurrection of the genus Siphoptychium and introduction of the new genus Thecotubifera

ABSTRACTThe genus Siphoptychium is resurrected on the basis of comparative morphology and phylogeny of partial nuc 18S rDNA (18S) and translation elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1A) nucleotide sequences. The genus is characterized by the firm upper surface of the pseudoaethalium, accreted but easily separable sporothecae, a tubular or fibrous columella, and spores with a reticulate ornamentation consisting of 7–9 meshes across the diameter. In addition to the currently known single species S. casparyi (= Tubifera casparyi), two new members of Siphoptychium are described: S. violaceum from coniferous forests of Europe, east Asia, and southeast Asia, and S. reticulatum from temperate and subarctic regions of North America and alpine regions of Europe. A second genus, Thecotubifera, is described to accommodate Tubifera dictyoderma. The fruiting body of this species is transitional between a pseudoaethalium and a true aethalium. It is covered by a contiguous membranous cortex formed by the fused tips of the sporothecae, a feature typical for aethalia. However, the inner portions of sporothecae remain discernible, a feature more typical for pseudoaethalia. Columellae of Th. dictyoderma are formed by perforated plates, and the spores have a reticulate ornamentation consisting of 2–5 meshes across the diameter. For Th. dictyoderma, we could confirm records only for tropical regions and Japan, whereas all studied European specimens, including those mentioned in current monographs, represent species of Siphoptychium.

Variability of orographic enhancement of precipitation in the Alpine region

Climate change impacts are non uniformly distributed over the globe. Mountains have a peculiar response to large scale variations, documented by elevation gradients of surface temperature increase observed over many mountain ranges in the last decades. Significant changes of precipitation are expected in the changing climate and orographic effects are important in determining the amount of rainfall at a given location. It thus becomes particularly important to understand how orographic precipitation responds to global warming and to anthropogenic forcing. Here, using a large rain gauge dataset over the European Alpine region, we show that the distribution of annual precipitation among the lowlands and the mountains has varied over time, with an increase of the precipitation at the high elevations compared to the low elevations starting in the mid 20 century and peaking in the 1980s. The simultaneous increase and peak of anthropogenic aerosol load is discussed as a possible source for this interdecadal change. These results provide new insights to further our understanding and improve predictions of anthropic effects on mountain precipitations, which are fundamental for water security and management.

What are participants of cow sharing arrangements actually sharing? A property rights analysis on cow sharing arrangements in the European Alps

Sharing seems to experience a fashionable renaissance nowadays. It appears as though we are constantly involved in sharing activities in our daily physical and digital lives. Images, feelings or thoughts are shared on social media platforms; we share cars (e.g. Zipcar), bikes, homes and beds (e.g. Airbnb and Couchsurfing), money and other resources (e.g. Wemakeit and Kickstarter). These different practices, their impact and adjoining conceptual frameworks are controversially debated within the Smart City Debate and the Sharing Discourse (e.g. tourism phenomena related to Airbnb). ‘Sharing’ emphasizes the utilization of underused resources and the shift from owning things or goods to sharing them. So far, less attention has been paid to ‘new’ sharing models or approaches in rural contexts. In this article we take a first step by mapping and comparing ‘cow sharing’ arrangements within the European Alpine Region as one of such rural and digitally mediated formats of sharing practices. 60 cow sharing arrangements in five countries (Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Italy) are mapped and investigated through the lens of property rights (Schlager and Ostrom, 1992) and the sharing paradigm. Farmers’ main motivation to enter sharing arrangements are the direct marketing of high-quality products and the intensified social relations with tourists and consumers. The analysis of the cow sharing arrangements shows two different types: (i) ‘authorized users’ and (ii) ‘withdrawal-focused crowding arrangements’, that illustrate new farmer-consumer (share giver-share taker) relations which are mediated by digital platforms. They share different bundles of rights, mainly withdrawal (e.g. milk, cheese, meat) or access rights (e.g. cow visits, exploring Alpine pastures/farm), while share takers hold all management, exclusion and alienation rights while also bearing the major risks and obligations within the sharing arrangement.

Winners and losers of landscape changes over the last sixty years in one of the oldest and southernmost national parks of the European Alpine region: Ordesa and Monte Perdido

Traditional land-use decline in Mediterranean mountains is translating into extensive forest recovery and the loose of “cultural landscapes”. In this context, the management of semi-natural ecosystems plays a fundamental role for the future preservation of species and processes, particularly in protected areas, and managers need rigorous information for an integrative interpretation of the long-term and complex effects of land cover replacement. Here we analyze changes in the land cover structure of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park and its peripheral protection zone, by comparing 7 types of patches from aerial photographs taken in 1956 and 2015. Then, we discuss how this process affected landscape diversity and two kinds of potential vulnerable plants. We found higher changes in the unprotected than protected areas, concentrated below the treeline in both cases, as a result of forest densification and strong reduction of anthropic and unvegetated areas. Total edge of patches decreased, as well as the number of patches, whereas mean patch size increased, indicating that patches merged and ecotones reduced. Shannon diversity index of the landscape decreased too, confirming a simplification of the system. Most Pyrenean endemic plants and threatened ones occur either on stable grasslands over the treeline, “winner” forests, or as rocky specialists irrespective of the land cover class. Therefore, past landscape changes do not seem to have affected them negatively, and forest expansion could also benefit several plants and tree-dominated communities at the south limit of distribution (Abies alba, Fagus sylvatica, Pinus uncinata). Landscape simplification, however, translates into plant diversity reduction too, which could be slowed down by creating or keeping small open patches inside matrices of forest. Maximization of plant diversity would require in this case some human perturbation, but at lower intensity than in the far past, in order to preserve large stands of old forests too.

Distinct colonization waves underlie the diversification of the freshwater sculpin (Cottus gobio) in the Central European Alpine region.

Ecological speciation and adaptive radiation are key processes shaping northern temperate freshwater fish diversity. Both often involve parapatric differentiation between stream and lake populations and less often, sympatric intralacustrine diversification into habitat- and resource-associated ecotypes. However, few taxa have been studied, calling for studies of others to investigate the generality of these processes. Here, we test for diversification within catchments in freshwater sculpins in a network of peri-Alpine lakes and streams. Using 8047 and 13182 restriction site-associated (RADseq) SNPs, respectively, we identify three deeply divergent phylogeographic lineages associated with different major European drainages. Within the Aare catchment, we observe populations from geographically distant lakes to be genetically more similar to each other than to populations from nearby streams. This pattern is consistent with two distinct colonization waves, rather than by parapatric ecological speciation after a single colonization wave. We further find two distinct depth distribution modes in three lakes of the Aare catchment, one in very shallow and one in very deep water, and significant genomewide differentiation between these in one lake. Sculpins in the Aare catchment appear to represent an early-stage adaptive radiation involving the evolution of a lacustrine lineage distinct from parapatric stream sculpins and the repeated onset of depth-related intralacustrine differentiation.

Landscape changes, traditional ecological knowledge and future scenarios in the Alps: A holistic ecological approach.

In recent decades, a dramatic landscape change has occurred in the European alpine region: open areas have been naturally recolonized by forests as traditional agricultural and forest activities were reduced and reorganized. Land use changes (LUC) are generally measured through GIS and photo interpretation techniques, but despite many studies focused on this phenomenon and its effects on biodiversity and on the environment in general, there is a lack of information about the transformation of the human-environment connection. The study of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), such as the ability to recognize wild plants used as medicine or food, can suggest how this connection evolved through time and generations. This work investigates the relationship between the natural forest cover expansion that influences the loss of open areas and the loss of TEK. Different data sources and approaches were used to address the topic in all its complexity: a mix of questionnaire investigations, historical maps, GIS techniques and modelling were used to analyse past land use changes and predict future scenarios. The study area, Trentino, Italy, is paradigmatic of the alpine situation, and the land use change in the region is well documented by different studies, which were reviewed and compared in this paper. Our findings suggest that open area loss can be used as a good proxy to highlight the present state and to produce future scenarios of Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This could increase awareness of the loss of TEK in other Alpine regions, where data on TEK are lacking, but where environmental trends are comparable.

Methane flux in montane and subalpine soils of the Central and Northern Alps

Aerobic soils are generally known as potent sinks for the atmospheric greenhouse gas methane (CH4). However, uptake rates vary greatly depending on the soil site, and hence estimation of the global soil sink is difficult. Here, we measured the in situ CH4 flux of 15 forests and 14 grasslands on siliceous or calcareous parent materials in summer 2013. To cover the topography of North Tyrol (Austria), sampling sites were distributed over four typical altitudes (500, 1000, 1500, and 2000m above sea level). Twenty-three of the soils were net sinks for CH4, whereas net CH4 emission occurred at four grassland sites and two sites neither showed net removal nor emission. Flux rates ranged between −3.2 and 2218.2μgCH4-Cm−2h−1 for grasslands, and between −3.2 and −45.0μgCH4-Cm−2h−1 for forests, thus showing that forest soils are significantly more efficient sinks than grassland soils. Soils derived from siliceous parent material were significantly more effective sinks than those derived from calcareous parent material, when only negative flux rates were considered. Multiple regressions indicated that soil dry mass and NH4+-N shaped CH4 flux of grasslands, whereas CH4 flux of forest soils was regulated by soil pH and NO3−-N. Our results provide insights into the CH4 turnover of the so far scarcely studied Central European alpine regions and thus add to the knowledge on this relevant topic.

Striking Diversification of Exudate Profiles in Selected Primula Lineages

In continuation of previous studies on glandular exudates of Primula, we analyzed eleven so far unstudied species and several populations for exudate composition. Unsubstituted flavone and unusually substituted flavones, normally predominant in Primula exudates, were not detected in all of the analyzed samples. Instead, some species exhibited regular substituted flavonoids, and in some cases, no flavonoids could be detected at all. The detection of a diterpene (1) in P. minima exudates is new to Primula. On basis of MS and NMR, 1 was structurally characterized as ent-kaur-16-en-19-oic acid. Comparative profiling of exudates as performed by HPLC and TLC against authentic markers indicated further the presence of the benzoquinone primin and derivatives in some exudates. Thus, exudates of newly studied species contrast markedly with those analyzed so far. The significance of observed exudate diversification is discussed in view of the phylogeny of derived lineages in European alpine regions.

Cutoff low systems and their relevance to large-scale extreme precipitation in the European Alps

In this paper, we attempt to highlight the relevance of cutoff low systems (CoLs) to large-scale heavy precipitation events within the Alpine region which often lead to catastrophic flooding. The main results of this study are (1) a detailed climatology (1971–1999) of CoLs for the European region, (2) contribution of CoLs to extreme precipitation events in the European Alpine region, (3) identification of regions within the European Alps most affected by extreme precipitation caused by CoLs, and (4) identification of regions where presence of CoLs is related to extreme precipitation in the Alpine region. The findings of this paper suggest that CoLs have a significant correlation with extreme precipitation events and strongly influence the climate of the Alpine region. The total contribution of CoLs to large-scale heavy precipitation events ranges between 20 and 95 % and is most pronounced in the northern and eastern parts of the Alps. More than 80 % of the events occur in the summer season. The area around the Alps and West of Spain (over the Atlantic Ocean) is the most affected region. The location of the center of CoLs that affect the Alpine region most occur on the northern and southern sides of the Alpine ridge.