Western Italian Alps Research Articles

What do trees reveal about the sliding of the lateral moraine of the Belvedere Glacier (western Italian Alps)?

The debris-covered Belvedere Glacier is an iconic place for investigating glacier dynamics and geomorphological processes typical of high mountain environments. Moreover, being located in an area highly suited to tourism, glacial and geomorphological hazards can evolve into risk scenarios. Particular attention has been paid during this research to the surge-type event that occurred at the beginning of the 21st century, and to the recent sliding of a lateral moraine nearby the chairlift station. Tree sampling was performed (19 trees on the lateral moraine; 10 undisturbed trees), and the results were compared with morphometric measurements on orthophotos of different years. Besides sampling trunks, the six available exposed roots (13 samples) from a tree located along the sliding niche were sampled to identify the exposure time. Morphometric measurements of the touristic trail dislocation indicate a sliding rate of 1.87 m/y – 1.98 m/y (2018–2023), while the regression rate of the sliding niche is 1.70 m/y (2021–2023). The age of trees along the trench is variable (14–49 years), as is the signal of compression wood, enhancing differentially the passage of the surge wave and the subsequent glacier downwasting. The beginning of root exposure occurred between 2017 and 2019, before the effective evidence of large fractures in the ground. Moreover, the roots show traumatic resin ducts in the period between 2020 and 2022, confirming the tree disturbance. In conclusion, the investigated events are recorded differentially in the sampled trees, especially in roots, anticipating the actual commencement of ground failure. A multidisciplinary approach, including remote sensing, field survey, and dendrogeomorphological analysis is essential to define the dynamics of complex systems.

Long-term monitoring of a population of greater horseshoe bat emphasises the importance of a pest beetle prey on demographic trends.

The global decline in insect biomass has far-reaching implications for terrestrial and freshwater food webs, impacting species reliant on insects as a crucial component of their diet. This issue extends to species traditionally considered agricultural pests, such as the common cockchafer Melolontha melolontha. In the race to combat cockchafers through collection, insecticide use, and other control methods, the repercussions of their numerical fluctuations on predators, including species of high conservation importance like bats, have been largely overlooked. Drawing on 31-years of monitoring data for a greater horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum population in the Aosta Valley (Western Italian Alps), we investigated whether annual fluctuations in bat counts are influenced by cockchafer availability and weather conditions. Despite an overall positive trend in bat abundance, we observed pronounced annual fluctuations, mostly driven by cockchafer availability rather than variations in temperature and precipitation. Furthermore, we found a significant association between cockchafer availability and the median date of birth and birth rate of bats. Births occurred approximately 5 days earlier in cockchafer flight years, with earlier births also linked to warmer spring temperatures and higher numbers of warm days in April. Moreover, the ratio pups/older bats was 0.56 in cockchafer flight years, compared to 0.47 in other years. Our results underscore the importance of considering predator-prey dynamics when examining the long-term population trends of species of conservation concern. We recommend implementing restrictions on the use of chemicals and other potentially harmful practices that may diminish prey abundance or quality, including that of species considered as agricultural pests. In designing conservation strategies, a delicate balance should be struck between the current interests of farmers and the overarching goal of preserving biodiversity against potential future threats.

Diatom assemblages in glacial-fed streams of Italian Western Alps

ABSTRACT The rate of glacier retreat has recently increased, with changes in the glacier discharge, river flow and water characteristics, creating specific environmental conditions for highly specialized organisms. We here investigated diatom communities in glacier-fed rivers of the Valle d’Aosta region (NW-Italy), analyzing data collected between 2010 and 2019 for the WFD monitoring programs. We present a complete checklist of the species inhabiting this region, many of which are classified as endangered in the diatom Red List. We found significant differences between sites with different catchment glacier cover (CGC), in terms of taxonomic composition, ecological guilds and abundance of Red List taxa. In particular, we observed a significant increase in species richness with the decrease in CGC, as well as significant differences in terms of taxonomic composition. We highlighted the role of Achnanthidium lineare as an indicator species for streams with the highest glacial influence, together with Hannaea arcus, Eucocconeis laevis and other oligotrophic low profile species that are well adapted to physical stress induced by glacier runoff. On the other hand, streams with lower glacial influence were characterized by motile species mostly belonging to the genera Navicula and Nitzschia, due to the nutrient increase. Didymosphenia geminata was recorded in streams with marginal glacier cover; recently observed blooms indicate that conditions may become increasingly favorable for the spread of this species in Alpine environments, as glaciers retreat. The abundance of Red List diatoms increased significantly with increasing glacier cover suggesting that glacier-fed rivers are niches for the conservation of diatom biodiversity.

Fine-Scale Lithogeochemical Features Influence Plant Distribution Patterns in Alpine Grasslands in the Western Alps of Italy.

Bedrock geology is crucial in structuring alpine plant communities. Old studies mainly focused on the compositional differences between alpine plant communities on carbonate rocks and crystalline rocks, i.e., calcareous vs. siliceous vegetation. Increasing attention is being paid to bedrock types other than calcareous or siliceous ones, viz. those which have intermediate geochemical characteristics between pure calcareous and pure siliceous ones. Among these types of 'intermediate' bedrocks, calc-schists and serpentines are generally characterized by vegetation comprised of a mixture of basiphilous and acidophilous species. We selected several sites in alpine grasslands in the Western Italian Alps, on calc-schist and serpentine bedrocks, located at 2500 ± 100 m above sea level. X-ray fluorescence quantification of major and trace elements, combined with stereomicroscopic examination of bedrock samples with a petrographic approach, revealed a much broader range of bedrock types than recognized by inspection of geological maps. The vegetation investigated in our study was mostly composed of a set of species found more or less frequently in alpine silicicolous or calcicolous plant communities of the Alps and other European mountains. The carbonate content in the bedrock was one of the main drivers of variation in grassland vegetation, not necessarily related to soil pH. There were no distinctive species uniquely characterizing grassland vegetation on serpentines or calc-schists.

Valorisation and regeneration in the western Italian Alps

This review of projects, selected from the provinces of Turin and Cuneo, represents some interesting examples of wooden buildings that often interact with pre-existing structures. In this sense, the use of wooden construction systems demonstrates the remarkable flexibility of this material in relating to existing buildings. Different approaches emerge: in the case of the former Casermette of Moncenisio, there are new buildings inserted within the pre-existing structure, while in the subsequent examples, the new intervention operates through an adjacency to the existing buildings. These projects are part of operations aimed at enhancing local wood, virtuously integrating into regenerative processes of the territory.

Alpine Catchments’ Hazard Related to Subaerial Sediment Gravity Flows Estimated on Dominant Lithology and Outcropping Bedrock Percentage

Sediment gravity flows (SGFs) cause serious damage in the Alpine regions. In the literature, several methodologies have been elaborated to define the main features of these phenomena, mainly considering the rheological features of the flow processes by laboratory experiments or by flow simulation using 2D or 3D propagation models or considering a single aspect, such as the morphometric parameters of catchments in which SGFs occur. These very targeted approaches are primarily linked to the definition of SGFs’ propagation behavior or to identify the predisposing role played by just one feature of catchments neglecting other complementary aspects regarding phenomena and the environment in which SGFs can occur. Although the research aimed at the quantification of some parameters that drive the behavior of SGFs provides good results in understanding the flow mechanisms, it does not provide an exhaustive understanding of the overall nature of these phenomena, including their trigger conditions and a complete view of predisposing factors that contribute to their generation. This paper presents a research work based on the collection and cross-analysis of lithological, geomechanical, geomorphological and morphometrical characteristics of Alpine catchments compared with sedimentological and morphological features of SGF deposits, also taking in to account the rainfall data correlation with historical SGF events. A multidisciplinary approach was implemented, aiming at quantifying SGF causes and characteristics starting from the catchments’ features where the phenomena originate in a more exhaustive way. The study used 78 well-documented catchments of Susa Valley (Western Italian Alps), having 614 historical flow events reported, that present a great variability in geomorphological and geological features. As the main result, three catchment groups were recognized based on the dominant catchment bedrock’s lithology characteristics that influence the SGFs’ rheology, sedimentological and depositional features, triggering rainfall values, seasonality, occurrence frequency and alluvial fan architecture. The classification method was also compared with the catchments’ morphometry classification, demonstrating that the fundamental role in determining the type of flow process that can most likely occur in a given catchment is played by the bedrock outcropping percentage, regardless of the results provided by the morphometric approach. The analysis of SGF events through the proposed method led to a relative estimate of the hazard degree of these phenomena distinguished by catchment type.

Three new species for the odonatofauna of Piedmont (NW Italy)

Between 2020 and 2023, three new species of Odonates were recorded in Piedmont (NW Italy). Lestes barbarus was observed at an artificial wetland in the Turin Plain in 2021. Even though at least one individual was fresh, we cannot conclude that the species developed at the site. Subsequent visits did not permit to confirm the species. Coenagrion hastulatum was discovered at a peat bog in the NW Alps (Lac Falin, Valle di Viù) in 2023 and here reproduction was confirmed. This population is the fifth to be recorded for the central and western Italian Alps. Trithemis annulata was first recorded in Piedmont in July 2020, and subsequently, the observations of the species in the region rapidly increased, with a total of 66 records relative to 29 sites up to the end of 2023. These are distributed in most of the low-altitude areas of the region. The species was reported mostly in late summer, with only one site where the early spring records suggest successful overwintering. However, this needs further confirmation. The odonate list of Piedmont now accounts for 70 species, representing 73.6% of the taxa reported for Italy, and this makes Piedmont, along with Lombardy, the most odonate-rich region of Italy.

Carbon dioxide fluxes in Alpine grasslands at the Nivolet Plain, Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy 2017–2023

We introduce a georeferenced dataset of Net Ecosystem Exchange (NEE), Ecosystem Respiration (ER) and meteo-climatic variables (air and soil temperature, air relative humidity, soil volumetric water content, pressure, and solar irradiance) collected at the Nivolet Plain in Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP), western Italian Alps, from 2017 to 2023. NEE and ER are derived by measuring the temporal variation of CO2 concentration obtained by the enclosed chamber method. We used a customised portable non-steady-state dynamic flux chamber, paired with an InfraRed Gas Analyser (IRGA) and a portable weather station, measuring CO2 fluxes at a number of points (around 20 per site and per day) within five different sites during the snow-free season (June to October). Sites are located within the same hydrological basin and have different geological substrates: carbonate rocks (site CARB), gneiss (GNE), glacial deposits (GLA, EC), alluvial sediments (AL). This dataset provides relevant and often missing information on high-altitude mountain ecosystems and enables new comparisons with other similar sites, modelling developments and validation of remote sensing data.

Exploring the Correlation between Geoheritage and Geodiversity through Comprehensive Mapping: A Study within the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (NW Italy)

While geoheritage and geodiversity have been well defined in the literature, the multiplicity of definitions given to these two concepts makes it difficult to establish an unambiguous relationship between them. Basing on semantic-ontological studies, this study aims to reduce this ambiguity within the concepts by investigating the relationship between the geodiversity richness and the presence of geoheritage, and discussing whether the areas with the greatest geodiversity are the ones with the most relevant geoheritage, thus questioning the potential use of the geodiversity index map. Upon a strong theoretical framework, a quantitative geodiversity index map was created for the Alagna Valsesia municipality, within the Sesia Val Grande UNESCO Global Geopark (Italian Western Alps). Then, 25 geosites were identified and mapped in the same area. Notably, the exploration into the correlation between geodiversity and geoheritage on the field shows that in our study area there is no spatial correlation between the geodiversity class and the number of geosites, proving that some geosites may occur in areas of low geodiversity and the greatest geodiversity are not the ones with the most relevant geoheritage. Moreover, all the non-parametric regression models tested are not significant, indicating that there is no predictable relationship between geodiversity and geoheritage in Alagna Valsesia (NW Alps). For that reason, our work highlights that although the quantitative geodiversity map can have an important role for geoconservation and within biodiversity studies, it could not be a strong tool for geosites recognition and tourism promotion, while for this purpose should be better use a qualitative geodiversity map. Finally, the potential use of the geodiversity map depends on the purpose of the study and the approach used to produce it. For a comprehensive geoconservation and geoheritage promotion strategy, the two approaches (qualitative and quantitative) may be complementary.

Water Colour Changes in High-Elevation Alpine Lakes during 2017–2022: A Case Study of the Upper Orco Valley Catchment

The water resource is severely compromised by climate change, and its availability and quality can no longer be taken for granted, even in places considered pristine, such as mountains. In this study, we evaluated the water colour variability of three artificial mountain lakes located in a relatively small basin (Western Italian Alps) at high elevations, and related this variability to the local climate conditions of the hydrological basin to which they belong. We estimated the dominant wavelength (DW) of lake water from Sentinel-2 acquisitions for the period 2017–2022, performing a chromaticity analysis. We correlated DW with climatic parameters recorded by two automated weather stations. Average DW varies from 497 nm of Serrù Lake and Agnel Lake to 512 nm of Lake Ceresole, where DW varies seasonally (variation of 75–100 nm in one year). During April–July, the DW of Lake Ceresole is significative correlated with air temperatures and snow cover (−0.8 and +0.8, respectively). During August–October, the relationship with temperature decreases to −0.5, and a correlation of 0.5 with the amount of rainfall appears. This work shows that mountain lake waters can exhibit variable quality (expressed here by water colour) in response to meteorological and hydrological conditions and events.

Reaction path model of the formation of abiotic immiscible hydrocarbon fluids in subducted carbonated serpentinites, Lanzo Massif (Western Italian Alps)

Fluids generated from subducted slabs participate in the cycling of deep carbon in the crust and upper mantle. In these fluids, aqueous carbon species vary in oxidation state between +IV and -IV depending on whether the fluids are oxidizing or reducing, respectively. Most studies of subduction-zone fluids have focused on oxidized carbon species. However, recent studies of natural samples have demonstrated the occurrence of deep, reducing fluids, generated in both subducted oceanic upper mantle and crustal rocks. CH4-H2-rich fluid inclusions in subducted carbonated serpentinites have demonstrated the existence of abiotic, immiscible, hydrocarbon fluids at upper mantle conditions. To investigate the formation of such immiscible hydrocarbon fluids during the evolution of subducted carbonated serpentinites, we used equilibrium constants from the Deep Earth Water model to carry out predictive chemical mass transfer modeling to simulate the alteration reactions. A novel feature of the models was the inclusion of an immiscible hydrocarbon fluid containing six components (CH4,f,C2H6,f,C3H8,f,isoC4H10,f,CO2,f,H2,f). This feature enabled prediction of the formation of a separate immiscible fluid in equilibrium with aqueous species and minerals.We developed a predictive reaction path model of invasive H2,f reacting with carbonated serpentinites and interstitial aqueous fluids for comparison with the natural samples from the Lanzo Massif, western Italian Alps. Over a range of temperatures and pressures, immiscible hydrocarbon fluids formed in association with altered mineral assemblages. Reaction progress caused the transformation of carbonated serpentinites and the formation of clinopyroxene, brucite, graphite, and hydrocarbon fluids, along with changes of pH, logfO2, and aqueous species. CH4,f was the most abundant hydrocarbon species in all the models. The overall results at 2.0 GPa and 400 to 450 °C were consistent with the natural samples from the Lanzo Massif. Interestingly, large amounts of H2O formed due to oxidation of H2. More hydrocarbons and H2O formed in models with lower fluid/rock mass ratios or with more reactant H2. Models at different pressure and temperature conditions showed similar results with some variation in the relative stabilities of aragonite, graphite and olivine solid solution, and associated differences in mineral sequences, hydrocarbon fluids, values of aqueous species, and the final logfO2 and pH. Our models strongly support the laboratory and field evidence that reduction of carbonated serpentinites by infiltrating H2 fluids can cause the formation of immiscible, abiotic hydrocarbon fluids in subduction zones.

The effect of tectonic boudinage and folding in a subducted mélange of the Alpine orogenic belt (Zermatt–Saas Zone, Italian Western Alps)

The Zermatt–Saas Zone is an eclogite-facies meta-ophiolite unit representing the fossil oceanic lithosphere of the Jurassic Tethys. In the Italian Northwestern Alps, the Zermatt–Saas Zone includes a chaotic rock unit, or mélange, c. 40 m thick, interposed between serpentinites and calcschists. The mélange consists of decimetre-scale ultramafic layers and boudins embedded in a serpentine + carbonate-rich matrix showing a block-in-matrix fabric. The mélange has the same Alpine tectonometamorphic evolution as the surrounding rocks, starting with a prograde path developed under high-pressure (HP) conditions followed by a retrograde path during exhumation. The kinematic and metamorphic relations between inside- and outside-boudin foliations indicate that boudinage and shearing developed during the prograde HP path. Fluid–rock interaction enhanced shearing and focused ductile and brittle–ductile deformation along lithological contacts between rigid blocks and boudins and flowing carbonaceous matrix. Despite a pervasive orogenic evolution, the primary tectonosedimentary features of the mélange are still recognizable in some outcrops and are attributed to an intra-oceanic (Jurassic) setting characterized by mass-transport processes. The present-day fabric of the studied mélange unit thus results from the superimposition of the Alpine processes, responsible for fluid-assisted stratal disruption and mixing in the subduction channel, on the original stratigraphy formed during intra-oceanic gravitational processes. Supplementary material : Supplementary figures and tables are available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6924080 Thematic collection: This article is part of the Ophiolites, melanges and blueschists collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/topic/collections/ophiolites-melanges-and-blueschists

Traditional Knowledge Evolution over Half of a Century: Local Herbal Resources and Their Changes in the Upper Susa Valley of Northwest Italy.

Susa Valley, located in the Italian Western Alps, has served as a meeting point for cultural, spiritual, and commercial exchange for a long period of history. The valley's role as one of the main connecting routes between south and southwestern Europe resulted in its acquisition of a rich traditional ecological knowledge. However, like other Italian mountainous valleys, this valley has suffered from abandonment and depopulation in the past 50 years. Our study aims to investigate the current ethnobotanical medicinal knowledge in the valley and to compare our findings with a study conducted over 50 years ago in the same area. In 2018, we conducted 30 in-depth semi-structured interviews on medicinal plants and food-medicines used in the Susa Valley. We documented 36 species, of which 21 species were used for medical purposes and 15 species were used as food-medicine. The comparison with the previous study on medicinal herbs conducted in 1970 in the valley demonstrated a significant decrease in both the knowledge and use of medicinal plants, which could be attributed to socioeconomic, cultural, and possibly environmental changes that occurred in the past half-century. Our study highlights several promising species for future use as nutraceuticals, food, and medicinal products, such as Taraxacum officinale, Urtica dioica, and Artemisia genipi.

Mechanisms of Block Instability at the Toe of a Slowly Deforming Rock Slope

Steep alpine rock slopes undergoing deformation may give rise to concurrent landslide hazards of different type and magnitude. The underlying mechanisms of instability are often challenging to investigate due to their inherent complexity; furthermore, they can occur on poorly accessible terrain, preventing the collection of data by means of traditional field techniques or even inhibiting awareness of hazards. This paper focuses upon one such case, in which a major transportation corridor running along the floor of the Aosta Valley (Western Italian Alps) is affected by significant—and until recently unknown—rockfall hazards promoted by a previously collapsed rockslide still deforming slowly at elevations almost 600 m above the road. In particular, two large discrete blocks (volume > 103 m3) lie precariously at the toe of the slide and could fall downslope at extremely rapid velocity. The design of countermeasures for the stabilization or removal of these blocks would require the assessment of their mechanical interaction with the bedrock and degree of internal fracturing (i.e., possible pervasive damage within the blocks). We perform this task by first exploring potential kinematic styles and damage patterns at failure according to a series of preliminary finite-element models. We then use detailed displacement measurements from remote sensing and in situ monitoring, in conjunction with repeat topographic surveying from a terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) and a drone laser scanner (DLS), to reconstruct the actual kinematics of the blocks. The results substantiate the hypothesis that instability is primarily controlled by transient degradation of friction on a through-going basal rupture surface. Development of a large tensile fracture in one of the two blocks is inferred to be conditioned by increased non-planarity of the slipping joint in comparison with the other block. We highlight that optimized integration of cutting-edge rock slope investigation tools can help address otherwise unresolved key aspects of complex instabilities in steep mountainous areas.

A Local Cheese: The Affective Economy of Food Embeddedness in the Italian Western Alps

This research delves into the intricate relationship between objects and communities, focusing on the central question: Can an object, such as cheese, contribute to the development and structure of a community? The paper explores the affective economy of the Formatge of San Lazzaro in the Italian Western Alps, exploring the product’s role as a cultural resource and community builder. Specifically, the article analyzes the connection between product and territory that underlies the production of local food and suggests that a product can be called “local” when it is part of the community, an integral part of a network of affective, cognitive, and spatial relationships that connect a territory through time and space. Thus, it explains the cultural significance of products for territories and why they represent a resource not only economically but also as culturally resilient.

Structural, lithostratigraphic and thermal features of a Permian lower crust from the Western Italian Alps (Valpelline Series, Valle d’Aosta)

AbstractThe Valpelline Series (Dent-Blanche Tectonic System, Western Italian Alps) is a sector of lower continental crust, which consists of Permian migmatitic metapelite with different mineral assemblages (i.e., garnet-, cordierite- and orthopyroxene-bearing), minor amphibolite and marble, intruded by aplite and pegmatite. Widespread melt production in metapelite and locally in amphibolite occurred during the development of the regional foliation. The P–T conditions during migmatisation, estimated using conventional geothermobarometers, range between 800–900 °C and 0.5–0.8 GPa, with a difference of up to ∼50 °C between cordierite- and orthopyroxene-bearing migmatites, the latter reaching higher temperatures. The Valpelline Series shows rock types, metamorphic assemblages, P–T conditions and published ages of high-temperature regional metamorphism like the archetypal lower crust section of the Ivrea-Verbano Zone in the Southern Western Alps. The latter likely represents an external portion of the same extending lower crust, at the onset of the Tethyan rifting due to lithospheric extension and asthenospheric rising.

Preserved Nd-Hf-Os isotope variability in replacive channels from the Lanzo ophiolite: Traces of incomplete melt aggregation in the shallow mantle

Long-lived radiogenic isotopes of abyssal peridotites, residues of MORB extraction, show that the asthenosphere is intrinsically heterogeneous, which is inherited from ancient melting events and crustal recycling during Earth's history. Yet, Mid Ocean Ridge Basalts (MORB) have a rather uniform average composition, suggesting that the variability of their mantle source is concealed during their ascent. Here we document that mantle heterogeneity is exceptionally well preserved in high permeability mantle conduits from the Lanzo South mantle massif, Western Italian Alps. Nd-Hf-Os isotopes of decametre-scale replacive bodies provide evidence for the existence of two generations of mantle channels. The first generation consists of dunites concordant to the main foliation of host peridotites. The replacive dunites include clinopyroxene with MORB-like incompatible element signature and initial (160 Ma) ƐNd and ƐHf ranging from +4 to +7 and from +10 to +15, respectively. The second generation, made up of pyroxene-poor harzburgites discordant to the main foliation, is geochemically depleted in incompatible elements and its clinopyroxene displays highly radiogenic Hf isotopes (initial ƐHf up to +202). The mantle channel heterogeneity is confirmed by ReOs isotopes and platinum-groups elements. The MORB-type dunites have high Pt, Pd and, locally, Re, and have 187Os/188Os ratios similar to the host peridotite (0.122–0.128). On the other hand, the depleted bodies have lower Pt, Pd and Re, and 187Os/188Os ratios ranging from those of host peridotites (0.124) to highly unradiogenic values (0.118) in the most refractory sample. The preserved heterogeneity in trace elements, PGE, and Nd-Hf-Os isotopes highlights infiltration of melts from a highly heterogeneous mantle, still partially preserved within these mantle bodies. If applied to present-day Mid Ocean Ridges, our model indicates that the isotopic variability of melts migrating through replacive mantle conduits is by far larger than magmas erupted on the seafloor, which implies that diverse mantle components are mainly delivered and homogenised above the crust-mantle boundary.

Assessing soil quality of Italian Western Alps protected areas by QBS-ar: impact of management and habitat type on soil microarthropods

Soil fauna has a crucial importance for the functioning of ecosystems and their conservation. Soil biota has a role in soil formation and distribution of organic matter, and groups like microarthropods can be used as indicators to assess soil quality and are often employed in monitoring programs. In the present study, the QBS-ar index, an index based on the presence/absence of microarthropod groups, was used to assess the level of soil quality in nine different sampling sites in the “Parco Naturale delle Alpi Marittime” and in the “Parco Naturale del Marguareis” (Cuneo, Piedmont). Forest soils, with different degree of management, and open environments (e.g., grasslands and peatlands) were analyzed comparatively, to investigate whether microarthropod fauna might be influenced by management and habitat type.The results show QBS-ar values are significantly higher in woodland soils compared to grasslands and peatlands (p < 0.05). The latter shows no significant difference between each other, although grasslands show a large range of values (108–214). Forest management does not seem to influence QBS-ar values (183–239), showing stable microarthropod communities both in the managed and unmanaged areas. In addition to this, QBS-ar values do not differ significantly in the different forest coenoses, confirming that woodlands have similar index values (p = 0.7).This study confirms that QBS-ar values in natural areas can vary depending on the environment. It is therefore important to consider clustering habitat types before assessing quality classes for QBS-ar values. Finally, sustainable forest management in the study area does not seem to affect significantly soil microarthropod presence in woodland sites.

Alpine chamois &lt;i&gt;Rupicapra rupicapra&lt;/i&gt; (L., 1758) and European roe deer &lt;i&gt;Capreolus capreolus&lt;/i&gt; (L., 1758) close together at a salt lick

Three sub-adult chamois and two adult male roe deer were sighted in the Western Italian Alps while staying close to each other, without any interspecific interaction, near rocky outcrops with the characteristics of salt licks, likely of natural origin. This is apparently the first report of chamois and roe deer seen together at salt licks and suggests spatial overlap of two ungulates usually observed in different habitats. Their interspecific tolerance might be due to differences in their diets, which might, in turn, depend on overlooked local adaptations to coexist in the same habitat.

UAV-mounted Ground Penetrating Radar: an example for the stability analysis of a mountain rock debris slope

This paper describes scientific research conducted to highlight the potential of an integrated GPR-UAV system in engineering-geological applications. The analysis focused on the stability of a natural scree slope in the Germanasca Valley, in the western Italian Alps. As a consequence of its steep shape and the related geological hazard, the study used different remote sensed methodologies such as UAV photogrammetry and geophysics survey by a GPR-drone integrated system. Furthermore, conventional in-situ surveys led to the collection of geological and geomorphological data. The use of the UAV-mounted GPR allowed us to investigate the bedrock depth under the detrital slope deposit, using a non-invasive technique able to conduct surveys on inaccessible areas prone to hazardous conditions for operators. The collected evidence and the results of the analysis highlighted the stability of the slope with Factors of Safety, verified in static conditions (i.e., natural static condition and static condition with snow cover), slightly above the stability limit value of 1. On the contrary, the dynamic loading conditions (i.e., seismic action applied) showed a Factor of Safety below the stability limit value. The UAV-mounted GPR represented an essential contribution to the surveys allowing the definition of the interface debris deposit-bedrock, which are useful to design the slope model and to evaluate the scree slope stability in different conditions.