[Effects of thinning on accumulation of soil microbial residue carbon of Picea asperata plantations in sub-alpine region of western Sichuan, China]. / 间伐对川西亚高山云杉人工林土壤微生物残体碳积累的影响.

Microbial residues are an important component of soil organic carbon (SOC). It is unclear how long-term thinning affects the accumulation characteristics of microbial residue carbon (C). We analyzed the differences in soil physicochemical properties, microbial communities, extracellular enzyme activities, and microbial residue C in topsoil (0-10 cm) and subsoil (20-30 cm) in Picea asperata plantation of non-thinned (control, 4950 trees·hm-2) and thinned for 14 years (1160 trees·hm-2) stands, aiming to reveal the regulatory mechanism of thinning on microbial residue C accumulation. The results showed that thinning significantly increased SOC content, total nitrogen content, available phosphorus content, the proportion of particulate organic C, soil water content, C-cycle hydrolase, and acid phosphatase activities, but significantly reduced the proportion of mineral-associated organic C. Thinning significantly affected the content of fungal and microbial residue C, and the contribution of microbial residue C to SOC, and these effects were independent of soil layer. The content of fungal and microbial residue C was 25.0% and 24.5% higher under thinning treatments. However, thinning significantly decreased the contribution of microbial residue C to SOC by 12.3%, indicating an increase in the proportion of plant-derived C in SOC. Stepwise regression analysis showed that total nitrogen and soil water content were key factors influencing fungal and micro-bial residue C accumulation. In summary, thinning promoted microbial residue C sequestration by altering soil pro-perties and changed the composition of SOC sources.

Vegetation Dynamics in Response to Climate Change and Human Activities in a Typical Alpine Region in the Tibetan Plateau.

Understanding past and future vegetation dynamics is important for assessing the effectiveness of ecological engineering, designing policies for adaptive ecological management, and improving the ecological environment. Here, inter-annual changes in vegetation dynamics during 2000-2020, contributions of climate change (CC) and human activities (HA) to vegetation dynamics, and sustainability of vegetation dynamics in the future were determined in Gannan Prefecture (a typical alpine region in the Tibetan Plateau), China. MODIS-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), air temperature, precipitation, and land cover data were used, and trend analysis, multiple regression residuals analysis, and Hurst exponent analysis were employed. NDVI increased at a rate of 2.4 × 10-3∙a-1 during the growing season, and vegetation improved in most parts of the study area and some sporadically degraded areas also existed. The increasing rate was the highest in the Grain to Green Project (GTGP) areas. The vegetation in the southern and northern regions was mainly affected by CC and HA, respectively, with CC and HA contributions to vegetation change being 52.32% and 47.68%, respectively. The GTGP area (59.89%) was most evidently affected by HA. Moreover, a Hurst exponent analysis indicated that, in the future, the vegetation in Gannan Prefecture would continuously improve. The study can assist in formulating ecological protection and restoration projects and ensuring sustainable development.

Response of future hydropower generation of cascade reservoirs to climate change in alpine regions.

Climate warming accelerates the hydrological cycle, especially in high-latitude and high-altitude areas. The increase in temperature will increase the amount of snow and glacier melting and change the runoff, which will affect the operations of cascade reservoirs significantly. Therefore, taking the upper reaches of the Yellow River with an alpine climate as an example, we propose an improved SIMHYD-SNOW, which considers the snowmelt runoff process. The impacts of climate changes on the runoff process were revealed based on the SIMHYD-SNOW model using the precipitation and temperature data predicted by the SDSM model. A model for the maximum power generation of the cascade reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Yellow River was constructed to explore the impacts of climate changes on the inter-annual and intra-annual hydropower generation of the cascade reservoirs at different periods in the future. The results show that climate change has changed the spatial and temporal allocation of water resources in this area. The future runoff will decrease during the flood period (July to September) but increase significantly during the non-flood period. The inter-annual and intra-annual hydropower generation under the RCP8.5 climate change scenario is significantly lower than the RCP2.6 and RCP4.5 climate change scenarios, and as the CO2 emission concentration increases, this gap increases significantly. This study can provide technical references for the precise formulation of water resources management under climate change.

Quantitative determination of environmental factors governing the snow melting: a geodetector case study in the central Tienshan Mountains.

Because of the distinctive vertical climate and topography gradients in the alpine region, the snow cover of the Tienshan Mountains possesses complex spatiotemporal heterogeneity, particularly during the melting process. Quantifying the environmental factors is therefore crucial to understanding the melting process and for predicting and managing snowmelt runoff. Herein, the snow cover area, grain size, and contamination extent were determined to characterize the detailed melting status based on surface reflectance data of MOD09A1 in the central Tienshan Mountains from 2013 to 2017. The environmental factors collected include relief (elevation, slope, and aspect); meteorology (surface air temperature, land surface temperature, solar radiation, and wind speed); and land surface vegetation. Analysis of the geodetector results indicated the following. (1) Patterns of changes in the overall dominant environmental variables were consistent for the pre-, mid-, and post-melting periods defined according to the decline of snow cover area over five years. (2) The overall major environmental factors were wind speed and radiation (pre-period), land surface temperature and elevation (mid-period), and elevation and land surface types (post-period), respectively. (3) Regional distinctions were detected of the dominant environmental factors. In the pre-melting period, the effects of solar radiation and wind speed were noticeable in the north and south regions, respectively. The effects of elevation, land surface temperature, and land cover types became more prominent in all regions during the mid- and post-melting periods. (4) Interaction between the major environmental factors was significantly enhanced on both the overall and regional scales, thus affecting the snow-melting process. Finally, the energy distribution mismatch resulted in the snowmelt. Multiple environmental factors substantially affect heat redistribution at different spatiotemporal scales, resulting in the snowmelt as a complex manifestation of the factors and their interactions. The findings highlight regional differences in various environmental factors of the melting process and offer a theoretical foundation for the melting process at various scales over multiple years.

Research on Ecological Effect Assessment Method of Ecological Restoration of Open-Pit Coal Mines in Alpine Regions.

Open-pit mining is an important form of coal mining in China, and its damage to the ecological environment is particularly obvious in alpine regions. The ecological restoration of alpine open-pit coal mines faces severe challenges, and its restoration effect will directly affect the ecological security of China. Meanwhile, comprehensive and system-oriented evaluation of ecological restoration effects is still insufficient in current research. In this study, we selected different quantities of assessment factors on the two scales of ecological project area and ecological impact area to evaluate the ecological restoration effect of an alpine open-pit coal mine. Then, we formed a multi-scale and multi-dimensional ecological restoration effect assessment model of the alpine open-pit coal mine and used this model to analyze the implementation effect of the ecological restoration project of the Baiyinhua No. 2 Open-pit Mine. The results show that the multi-scale and multi-dimensional ecological restoration effect assessment model of alpine open-pit coal mine proposed in this study can accurately characterize the restoration effect of open-pit coal mines in alpine regions and can also be used as a significant evaluation tool in the future ecological construction of mining areas. This study hopes the multi-scale and multi-dimensional ecological restoration effect assessment model of alpine open-pit coal mine can provide a comprehensive, systematic, and scientific evaluation method for the ecological restoration of alpine open-pit coal mines and provide a scientific basis for the ecological restoration and green development of relevant mining areas.

From white to green: Snow cover loss and increased vegetation productivity in the European Alps.

Mountains are hotspots of biodiversity and ecosystem services, but they are warming about twice as fast as the global average. Climate change may reduce alpine snow cover and increase vegetation productivity, as in the Arctic. Here, we demonstrate that 77% of the European Alps above the tree line experienced greening (productivity gain) and <1% browning (productivity loss) over the past four decades. Snow cover declined significantly during this time, but in <10% of the area. These trends were only weakly correlated: Greening predominated in warmer areas, driven by climatic changes during summer, while snow cover recession peaked at colder temperatures, driven by precipitation changes. Greening could increase carbon sequestration, but this is unlikely to outweigh negative implications, including reduced albedo and water availability, thawing permafrost, and habitat loss.

A new model of two-sown regime for oat forage production in an alpine region of northern China.

Demand for high forage production and quality has been increased markedly by development of animal husbandry in China. The lack of efficient planting regimes and key technologies greatly limits production of high-quality forage. Oat has become an important forage in animal husbandry in China due to its high nutritional value and forage yield as well as its great adaptation to harsh environment. To maximize oat forage production in an alpine region, we developed a new model of oat forage production known as two-sown regime, i.e., the first spring-sown and the second summer-sown, during a single growing season in an alpine region of Hulun Buir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, using two early-matured oat species, Avena sativa (cv. Qinghai444, winner oat cultivar) and A. nuda (cv. Huazao2, spring oat cultivar). The key technologies and the underlying agronomic mechanisms were investigated across three experimental years of 2017-2019. The main results were as follows: (1) dry weight yield, crude protein yield, and relative feed value of forage in the two-sown regime were significantly increased by 53.6%, 48.9%, and 70.6% relative to traditional one-sown regime across the 3 years, respectively; (2) forage production was mainly achieved by an increase in plant height at the first spring-sown; and (3) forage yield resulted mainly from an increase in tiller density by increasing seeding rate under no-tillage treatment in the second summer-sown. The key technologies of the two-sown regime were the first spring-sown at the soil thawing depth 10-13 cm, followed by the second summer-sown with increasing seeding rate under no-tillage treatment. These findings highlight that the two-sown regime of oat forage can be widely used as an effective planting regime to maximize forage production in large alpine regions of northern China as well as in regions with similar climates.

DNA sequence and taxonomic gap analyses to quantify the coverage of aquatic cyanobacteria and eukaryotic microalgae in reference databases: Results of a survey in the Alpine region.

The taxonomic identification of organisms based on the amplification of specific genetic markers (metabarcoding) implicitly requires adequate discriminatory information and taxonomic coverage of environmental DNA sequences in taxonomic databases. These requirements were quantitatively examined by comparing the determination of cyanobacteria and microalgae obtained by metabarcoding and light microscopy. We used planktic and biofilm samples collected in 37 lakes and 22 rivers across the Alpine region. We focused on two of the most used and best represented genetic markers in the reference databases, namely the 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA genes. A sequence gap analysis using blastn showed that, in the identity range of 99-100%, approximately 30% (plankton) and 60% (biofilm) of the sequences did not find any close counterpart in the reference databases (NCBI GenBank). Similarly, a taxonomic gap analysis showed that approximately 50% of the cyanobacterial and eukaryotic microalgal species identified by light microscopy were not represented in the reference databases. In both cases, the magnitude of the gaps differed between the major taxonomic groups. Even considering the species determined under the microscope and represented in the reference databases, 22% and 26% were still not included in the results obtained by the blastn at percentage levels of identity ≥95% and ≥97%, respectively. The main causes were the absence of matching sequences due to amplification and/or sequencing failure and potential misidentification in the microscopy step. Our results quantitatively demonstrated that in metabarcoding the main obstacles in the classification of 16S rRNA and 18S rRNA sequences and interpretation of high-throughput sequencing biomonitoring data were due to the existence of important gaps in the taxonomic completeness of the reference databases and the short length of reads. The study focused on the Alpine region, but the extent of the gaps could be much greater in other less investigated geographic areas.

Alpine permafrost could account for a quarter of thawed carbon based on Plio-Pleistocene paleoclimate analogue.

Estimates of the permafrost-climate feedback vary in magnitude and sign, partly because permafrost carbon stability in warmer-than-present conditions is not well constrained. Here we use a Plio-Pleistocene lacustrine reconstruction of mean annual air temperature (MAAT) from the Tibetan Plateau, the largest alpine permafrost region on the Earth, to constrain past and future changes in permafrost carbon storage. Clumped isotope-temperatures (Δ47-T) indicate warmer MAAT (~1.2 °C) prior to 2.7 Ma, and support a permafrost-free environment on the northern Tibetan Plateau in a warmer-than-present climate. Δ47-T indicate ~8.1 °C cooling from 2.7 Ma, coincident with Northern Hemisphere glacial intensification. Combined with climate models and global permafrost distribution, these results indicate, under conditions similar to mid-Pliocene Warm period (3.3-3.0 Ma), ~60% of alpine permafrost containing ~85 petagrams of carbon may be vulnerable to thawing compared to ~20% of circumarctic permafrost. This estimate highlights ~25% of permafrost carbon and the permafrost-climate feedback could originate in alpine areas.

The contribution of landscape features, climate and topography in shaping taxonomical and functional diversity of avian communities in a heterogeneous Alpine region.

Understanding the effects of landscape composition and configuration, climate, and topography on bird diversity is necessary to identify distribution drivers, potential impacts of land use changes, and future conservation strategies. We surveyed bird communities in a study area located in the Central Alps (Autonomous Province of South Tyrol, northeast Italy), by means of point counts and investigated taxonomic and functional diversity at two spatial scales along gradients of land use/land cover (LULC) intensity and elevation. We also explored how environmental variables influence bird traits and red-list categories. Models combining drivers of different types were highly supported, pointing towards synergetic effects of different types of environmental variables on bird communities. The model containing only LULC compositional variables was the most supported one among the single-group models: LULC composition plays a crucial role in shaping local biodiversity and hence bird communities, even across broad landscape gradients. Particularly relevant were wetlands, open habitats, agricultural mosaics made up of small habitat patches and settlements, ecotonal and structural elements in agricultural settings, and continuous forests. To conserve bird diversity in the Alps, planning and management practices promoting and maintaining small fields, structural elements, and a mosaic of different LULC types should be supported, while preserving continuous forests at the same time. Additionally, pastures, extensively used meadows, and wetlands are key to conservation. These strategies might mitigate the impacts of global change on bird diversity in the Alps and in other European mountain areas.

[Difference in soil water holding capacity and the influencing factors under different land use types in the alpine region of Tibet, China]. / è¥¿è—é«˜å¯’åŒºä¸åŒåœŸåœ°åˆ©ç”¨æ–¹å¼ä¸‹åœŸå£¤æŒæ°´èƒ½åŠ›å·®å¼‚åŠå ¶å½±å“å› ç´ .

To investigate the variation of soil water holding capacity under different land use types can provide scientific basis for evaluating the change characteristics and regulation mechanism of water conservation capacity in alpine ecosystems. We collected soil samples at different depth intervals (0-10, 10-20 and 20-30 cm) under three land use types (farmland, forest, and grassland) in Tibet alpine region to measure the maximum water holding capacity, capillary water holding capacity, field capacity, and basic soil physicochemical properties. The associated environmental factors (mean annual precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index, altitude, slope gradient and surface roughness) were extracted to analyze the change characteristics and influencing factors of soil water holding capacity under different land use types. The results showed that soil water holding capacity (the maximum water holding capacity, capillary water holding capacity, and field capacity) of farmland, forest, and grassland all decreased with increasing soil depth. The mean values of the maximum water holding capacity, capillary water holding capacity, and field capacity in the 0-30 cm soil layer of grassland were 379.79, 329.57 and 194.39 g·kg-1, respectively, which were significantly higher than that of farmland (301.15, 259.67, and 154.91 g·kg-1) and forest (293.09, 251.49, and 117.01 g·kg-1). Results of the redundancy analysis showed that soil properties significantly influenced soil water holding capacity, with explanation rate of 44.6%, 42.7%, 37.6% and 35.8% for total porosity, soil organic matter, capillary porosity and soil bulk density, respectively. Results of the principal component analysis showed that mean annual precipitation, normalized difference vegetation index, altitude, slope gradient, and surface roughness were the main environmental factors affecting the spatial variation of soil water holding capacity, with a cumulative contribution of 72.4%. The grassland in the alpine region of Tibet had the highest water holding capacity and could effectively prevent soil erosion. Therefore, the implementation of returning farmland to grassland and the enclosure management of degraded grassland would be conducive to improve soil water conservation capacity in the alpine regions.

Background levels of OCPs, PCBs, and PAHs in soils from the eastern Pamirs, China, an alpine region influenced by westerly atmospheric transport.

Long-range atmospheric transport (LRAT) plays a crucial role in the occurrence of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in remote regions. When studying the LRAT of POPs on the Tibetan Plateau, westerly-controlled regions have received insufficient attention compared with regions influenced by the Indian monsoon or air flow from East Asia. We investigated the residual levels of POPs in soils from the eastern Pamirs and used air backward trajectory analysis to elucidate the influence of potential source regions via LRAT. Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs, mainly comprising DDTs, HCHs, and HCB), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, mainly comprising penta- and hexa-CBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs, mainly comprising three- and four-ring) were detected at low concentrations of 40-1000,

A first attempt at a holistic analysis of various influencing factors on the fish fauna in the Eastern European Alps.

Fish are some of the most threatened vertebrates in the world due to their often-sensitive response to environmental changes. Major land-use changes in the European Alps have direct and indirect impacts on fish communities, and these impacts are expected to increase in the future. Therefore, the identification of factors that are associated with the distribution of fish communities is of great importance to develop guidelines for management, precautions and sustainable use of running waters. In this study, the relationship of various factors - landscape structure and land use, topography, morphology, hydrology, physical and chemical water characteristics, hormonally active substances, pesticides, food availability, fisheries and piscivores birds - with fish assemblages are analysed. Field data from 81 stream sections from 2001 metres above sea level (m.a.s.l.) down to 219 m.a.s.l. are used in the study. The results reveal that the number of fish species has a strong association with topographic characteristics in the catchment area as well as with landscape configuration. Fish abundance and biomass are associated mostly with land-use type, hydrology, morphology as well as topography. In addition, there are indirect connections between fish abundance and biomass through land-use type, topography, water properties and hydromorphology. The results clearly indicate that not a single factor, but a multitude of factors are associated with the fish communities in the Eastern European Alps.

Alpine dwarf shrubs show high proportions of nonfunctional xylem: Visualization and quantification of species-specific patterns.

Xylem conductive capacity is a key determinant of plant hydraulic function and intimately linked to photosynthesis and productivity, but can be impeded by temporary or permanent conduit dysfunctions. Here we show that persistent xylem dysfunctions in unstressed plants are frequent in Alpine dwarf shrubs and occur in various but species-specific cross-sectional patterns. Combined synchrotron micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) imaging, xylem staining, and flow measurements in saturated samples of six widespread Ericaceae species evidence a high proportion (19%-50%) of hydraulically nonfunctional xylem areas in the absence of drought stress, with regular distribution of dysfunctions between or within growth rings. Dysfunctions were only partly reversible and reduced the specific hydraulic conductivity to 1.38 to 3.57 ×10-4 m2 s-1 MPa-1 . Decommission of inner growth rings was clearly related to stem age and a higher vulnerability to cavitation of older rings, while the high proportion of nonfunctional conduits in each annual ring needs further investigations. The lower the xylem fraction contributing to the transport function, the higher was the hydraulic efficiency of conducting xylem areas. Improved understanding of the functional lifespan of xylem elements and the prevalence and nature of dysfunctions is critical to correctly assess structure-function relationships and whole-plant hydraulic strategies.

Multidisciplinary analysis of Italian Alpine wildflower honey reveals criticalities, diversity and value.

Wildflower honeys produced in mountain grasslands are an expression of the biodiversity of these fragile habitats. Despite its importance, the botanical origin of honey is often defined without performing formal analysis. The aim of the study was to characterize six wildflower mountain honeys produced in the Italian Alps with different analytic techniques (SPME-GC-MS, HPLC-Orbitrap, cicatrizing and antioxidant activity) alongside melissopalynological analysis and botanical definition of the production area. Even though the apiaries were in mountain grasslands rich in Alpine herbaceous species, the honey could be defined as rhododendron/raspberry unifloral or raspberry and rhododendron bifloral while the honey produced at the lowest altitude differed due to the presence of linden, heather and chestnut. The non-compliance of the honey could be due to habitat (meadows and pastures) fragmentation, but also to specific compounds involved in the plant-insect relationship, such as kynurenic acid, present in a high quantity in the sample rich in chestnut pollen. 255 volatile compounds were detected as well as some well-known markers of specific botanic essences, in particular chestnut, linden and heather, also responsible for most of the differences in aroma profiling. A high correlation between nicotinaldehyde content and percentage of raspberry pollen (r = 0.853, p < 0.05) was found. Phenolic acid and hydroxy-fatty acid were predominant in the chestnut pollen dominant honey, which presented the highest antioxidant activity and the lowest cicatrizing activity, while the flavonoid fraction was accentuated in one sample (rhododendron pollen prevalent), that was also the one with the highest effect on wound closure, although all samples had similar cicatrizing effects apart from the chestnut pollen dominant honey (lowest cicatrizing activity). Our study highlighted the difficulty of producing mountain wildflower honey and the importance of a thorough characterization of this product, also to encourage its production and valorisation.

Agronomic and economical characterizations of a two-harvest regime for oat forage in cold regions of Northern China.

The natural grasslands in northern China have been seriously degraded due mainly to overgrazing and climate change in recent decades, leading to shortage of forage supply to animal husbandry. To maximize forage production, we developed a two-harvest regime of oat forage by sowing in spring in an alpine region of Hulun Buir, northern China, using two oat early maturation species. The agronomic characteristics and forage quality of the two-harvest regime were evaluated across three constructive years from 2017 to 2019. Compared to the traditional one-harvest regime, the production, resource use efficiency, and economic benefits were compared and quantified for both oat species across the 3 years. Dry weight forage by the two-harvest regime was increased by 17.5-18.5%, while crude protein was increased by 25.1-30.0%. Growing days by the two-harvest regime was increased by 36.7% on average, nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency was enhanced by 25.1-30.0%, while water use efficiency was not significantly changed. The two-harvest regime also increased the net profit by 28.0%. Taken together, our results reveal that the two-harvest regime of forage production in the cold region of northern China is a promising practice with high forage yield, nutritional value, and nitrogen fertilizer use efficiency as well as economic profit.

COMPARISON OF NATURALLY OCCURRING EIMERIA INFECTIONS IN ALPINE AND NERA DI VERZASCA GOAT BREEDS REARED IN A SUB-ALPINE ENVIRONMENT.

The present study aimed to describe the natural trend of Eimeria spp. oocysts shedding in different breeds of adult goats raised in a sub-Alpine ecosystem by quantitative copromicroscopic analysis. A 1-yr long longitudinal study was planned in a goat herd composed of non-native (Alpine) and autochthonous (Nera di Verzasca) breeds. FLOTAC double technique was implemented to analyze individual fecal samples collected monthly from 2 groups (non-native and native) of 10 goats each. A generalized linear mixed model, in which each goat was included as a random intercept effect, identified 4 predictors of logarithmically transformed oocysts per gram shedding: the number of days from parturition (F = 27.744; P < 0.001), the interaction between the goat breed and the number of days from parturition (F = 8.407; P = 0.004), the interaction between the number of days from parturition and the number of parturitions (F = 6.371; P = 0.012), and the interaction between the monthly rainfalls and temperatures (F = 4.536; P = 0.023). These results indicate that the physiological status (number of days from parturition) of adult goats and its interaction with other individual features (number of parturitions and breed) can affect Eimeria spp. oocysts shedding. Besides, a combination of climatic variables can pose a risk for Eimeria spp. infection in goats reared in the sub-Alpine environment.

When the heat is on: High temperature resistance of buds from European tree species.

The heat resistance of meristematic tissues is crucial for the survival of plants exposed to high temperatures, as experienced during a forest fire. Although the risk and frequency of forest fires are increasing due to climate change, knowledge about the heat susceptibility of buds, which enclose apical meristems and thus enable resprouting and apical growth, is scarce. In this study, the heat resistance of buds in two different phenological stages was experimentally assessed for 10 European tree species. Cellular heat tolerance of buds was analyzed by determining the electrolyte leakage following heat exposure. Further, the heat insulation capability was tested by measuring the time required to reach lethal internal temperatures linked to bud traits. Our results highlighted differences in cellular heat tolerance and insulation capability among the study species. The phenological stage was found to affect both the thermal stability of cells and the buds' insulation. Further, a good relationship between size-related bud traits and insulation capability was established. Species-specific data on the heat resistance of buds give a more accurate picture of the fire susceptibility of European tree species and provide useful information for estimating tree post-fire responses more precisely.

Biochemical aspects of seeds from Cannabis sativa L. plants grown in a mountain environment.

Cannabis sativa L. (hemp) is a versatile plant which can adapt to various environmental conditions. Hempseeds provide high quality lipids, mainly represented by polyunsaturated acids, and highly digestible proteins rich of essential aminoacids. Hempseed composition can vary according to plant genotype, but other factors such as agronomic and climatic conditions can affect the presence of nutraceutic compounds. In this research, seeds from two cultivars of C. sativa (Futura 75 and Finola) grown in a mountain environment of the Italian Alps were analyzed. The main purpose of this study was to investigate changes in the protein profile of seeds obtained from such environments, using two methods (sequential and total proteins) for protein extraction and two analytical approaches SDS-PAGE and 2D-gel electrophoresis, followed by protein identification by mass spectrometry. The fatty acids profile and carotenoids content were also analysed. Mountain environments mainly affected fatty acid and protein profiles of Finola seeds. These changes were not predictable by the sole comparison of certified seeds from Futura 75 and Finola cultivars. The fatty acid profile confirmed a high PUFA content in both cultivars from mountain area, while protein analysis revealed a decrease in the protein content of Finola seeds from the experimental fields.