Aquatic Hyphomycetes of a mountain stream in Valsesia (Piemonte)

The conidia of aquatic Hyphomycetes in a mountain stream in Italy were studied. Thirteen species previously unknown from Italy were recorded. The concentration of conidia in the waters of the stream reached a maximum from October to December, and a minimum in August.     

Gonadal function in male mountain bikers

Some studies reported testicular disorders associated with biking in mountain cyclists, which include injuries, erectile dysfunction, and higher scrotal temperatures. But none of these studies evaluated gonadal function. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate gonadal function in male mountain bikers. Twenty-two male professional mountain bikers and 30 healthy noncyclist controls were included in the study. The mean age and body mass index were similar in both groups. Fasting blood samples for the measurement of the levels of total testosterone (TT), sex-hormone binding globulin (SHBG), luteinizing hormone (LH), and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were obtained from all study participants before any physical activity. In addition, because insulin sensitivity and leptin modulate gonadal function, the concentrations of insulin, glucose, and leptin were also measured in the same samples. Calculated free testosterone (cFT) and bioavailable testosterone (bioT) were calculated from SHBG and TT. Basal hormonal levels including insulin, leptin, LH, FSH, SHBG, TT, glucose, and homeostasis model assessment scores were similar between the groups. However, bioT and cFT levels were significantly lower (p ≤ 0.05) in the mountain bikers than those in the controls. Despite the lower mean testosterone levels in the study group, the levels of LH and FSH were similar to controls. Insulin and leptin do not contribute to lower testosterone levels. In conclusion, male mountain bikers have lower testosterone concentrations compared to controls. This alteration cannot solely be explained by testicular dysfunction. The etiology of lower testosterone levels in cyclists appears to be complex and requires further research. The influence of such a decline on the athlete's performance, quality of life, and muscle strength is not known as yet.     

Cucujus tulliae sp. n. - an endemic Mediterranean saproxylic beetle from genus Cucujus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera, Cucujidae), and keys for identification of adults and larvae native to Europe

Cucujus tulliaesp. n. is described as a new member of genus Cucujus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera, Cucujidae), which enumerates at present eleven species distributed in Eurasia and northern America. This saproxylic beetle is the first Cucujus species known only from Mediterranean and it is probably endemic to Calabria (Italy). The species was found especially in old-growth mountain forests of high conservation value (i.e. national parks) dominated by Calabrian pine (Pinus laricio calabrica). We hypothesize that Cucujus tulliae sp. n. probably evolved from isolated populations of Cucujus haematodes Erichson, 1845. The species is thus relictual and of high conservation value, corresponding at least to endangered (EN) category with respect to recent IUCN criterion. Cucujus tulliae sp. n. is here compared with two species native to Europe - Cucujus haematodes and Cucujus cinnaberinus (Scopoli, 1763) and with the Caucasian Cucujus haematodes caucasicus Motschulsky, 1845, which is confirmed as a valid subspecies. The male genitalia of this Caucasian form have been examined and illustrated for the first time. A comprehensive key to adults and larvae of European species is provided.     

Biological activity of aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands in sediments from remote European lakes

1. Sediment extracts from 63 European remote lakes were tested for the presence of ligands of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), using a yeast-based bioassay. The lakes belong to different European mountain regions in Central Norway, Scotland, Piedmont (Italy), Tyrol (Austria and Italy) and the Julian Alps (Slovenia).
2. AhR ligand activity varied about 40-fold among the examined lakes, with Scotland having the highest proportion of lakes with high AhR ligand activity, whereas samples with low AhR ligand activity predominate in the Julian Alps.
3. AhR ligand activity in sediment samples correlated with the concentration of several environmentally relevant compounds, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, hexachlorobenzene and several polychlorobiphenyl ether congeners. These correlations suggest an anthropogenic origin for the detected AhR ligands, rather than being generated from natural processes.
4. We conclude that pollutants deposited in remote lakes by atmospheric processes are active AhR ligands at the concentrations found in these lakes. Given the high toxicity associated with ectopic activation of AhR in different animal systems, this activity may represent a significant risk for the exposed fauna.     

Daphnia curvirostris Eylmann in Japanese high mountain waters (Cladocera: Daphniidae)

A species of Daphnia, Daphnia curvirostris Eylmann, found in high mountain lakes and ponds in central Japan is described. Although there were some differences in the shape of the male rostrum and the chromosome number between European populations as described by Johnson (1952) and Trentini (1980), and Japanese ones collected from high mountain waters, Japanese specimens had many characteristics similar to the taxon D. curvirostris of Europe.     

Speciation in Mediterranean refugia and post‐glacial expansion of Zerynthia polyxena (Lepidoptera,Papilionidae)

Migration of populations to and from glacial refugia is responsible for various cases of speciation and subspeciation in Europe. The pattern of distribution and the degree of diversification between lineages originated by isolation in different glacial refugia usually depends on ecological traits, especially to their dispersal ability. Zerynthia polyxena is a philopatric species, scattered in small populations and rarely colonizing mountain areas. These characteristics probably caused repeated isolation during the Quaternary and may have favoured diversification. Actually two studies, based on both morphological and genetic data, suggest the existence of two highly distinct lineages in Europe having in Northern Italy their contact zone. In this study, I applied geometric morphometrics to male genitalia and demonstrated that (i) two morphotypes exist in Europe approximately facing on the two sides of the Po River; (ii) the two lineages probably survived glaciations in Italy and the Balkan Peninsula, respectively; then the Balkans lineage expanded to Central and Eastern Europe; (iii) no hybrid populations seem to exist in the contact area and, in one locality at least, the two lineages live in sympatry without any evidence of intermediates. These results suggest that (i) two sister species of Zerynthia exist in Europe. Accordingly, Papilio cassandra Geyer, 1828 is reinstated, as Zerynthia cassandra stat. rev., as the species to which the Zerynthia from Italy South of the Po River belong. Male genitalia differences with Zerynthia polyxena are described.     

A preliminary investigation of urinary testosterone and cortisol levels in wild male mountain gorillas

Urinary steroid hormone levels were measured in wild male mountain gorillas (Gorilla gorilla beringei) to determine how levels of testosterone and cortisol corresponded with age and social rank. Urine samples were collected noninvasively from 18 males, ranging in age from 3–26 years, in three groups of wild mountain gorillas at the Karisoke Research Center, Rwanda, Africa, and samples were analyzed using radioimmunoassay procedures. Males were classified as being immature (<7 years), maturing (10–13 years), or adult (+13 years of age). Immature males had significantly lower levels of testosterone and higher levels of cortisol than both maturing and adult males. No differences in testosterone or cortisol levels were found between maturing and adult males. Dominant males exhibited a trend toward significantly higher levels of testosterone than subordinate males, but no difference was found between cortisol levels of dominant and subordinate males. These results suggest that the increase in testosterone associated with puberty occurs prior to any outward sign of development of secondary sexual characteristics. Within-group male–male competition may affect testosterone levels, but the lack of difference in cortisol levels between dominant and subordinate males suggests that subordinate males are not socially stressed, at least as measured by cortisol. Am. J. Primatol. 43:51–64, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Do mountain hare populations cycle?

We investigated the occurrence and distribution of multi-annual cycles in abundance of mountain hare populations across a wide area of their range in northern Europe. We analysed 125 time-series of mountain hare abundance indexed from hunting bag records and questionnaire responses from Scotland, Sweden, Finland and Switzerland. We also reanalysed 17 previously published time-series based on hunting bag records and snow track indices from mountain hare populations in Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia and Italy. Autocorrelation analysis showed that 45% of mountain hare populations showed evidence of cycles, characterised by significant negative autocorrelations at half or the whole cycle period. The amplitude and periodicity of cycles varied between and within countries. Time-series in Scotland were characterised by high-amplitude weak cycles with a mean periodicity of nine years but with a range of 4–15 years. Norwegian and Swedish time-series revealed low amplitude weak cycles with a 3–7 year period. Finnish time-series showed low amplitude cycles with a 4–11 year period. Alpine time-series were predominantly non-cyclic, while the limited number of series from Russia showed high amplitude weak cycles with an 8–11 year period. The results reveal that mountain hare populations show a wide range of population dynamics with distinct regional differences in periodicity, amplitude and density dependent structure of cycles. These findings suggest that different factors may limit or regulate mountain hare populations in different regions of Europe thus supporting the results of recent field studies.     

Genetic legacy from past panmixia: high genetic variability and low differentiation in disjunct populations of the Eastern Large Heath butterfly

Glacial and interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene have led to severe range fluctuations of many species. These range shifts of the past often are reflected by extant genetic signatures. Retractions of distribution areas often have fostered splits into several small and isolated retreats as remnants of the formerly interconnected range. These processes often go in line with losses of intraspecific diversity. By contrast, large and interconnected distribution ranges mostly sustain high levels of genetic variability. The genetic impact of both scenarios strongly depends on the temporal scale. In the present study, we tested the genetic effects of an assumed long‐lasting widespread distribution during glacial periods and more short‐term population retractions to mountain archipelagos during warm stages. We analyzed polymorphic allozymes for individuals of the Eastern Large Heath butterfly, Coenonympha rhodopensis, including major parts of its distribution, such as central Italy and the Balkan Peninsula. Our data show extraordinarily high genetic diversity. The only remarkable genetic split is detectable between the central Apennines (Italy) and the Balkan mountain systems. The populations sampled over seven Balkan mountain systems (Jakupica, Shar Planina, Ossogovo, Pirin, Rila, Rhodopes, and Stara Planina) show low genetic differentiation. This low genetic differentiation and high genetic diversity diverges from the genetic structures frequently found in species with disjunct distributions. We therefore hypothesize that the obtained molecular structure is the product of down‐slope shift during the last cold stage and subsequent expansion over the lowlands of the Balkan Peninsula. The current mountain restriction most probably occurred with the beginning of the postglacial warming, which is too short a time span to be of evolutionary relevance. Therefore, the recent high genetic diversities and low differentiation may still reflect long‐lasting glacial panmixia but not (yet) the recent disjunction. The strong genetic differentiation between the Balkans and Italian Apennines must result from an earlier dispersal process, most probably from the Balkans to Italy. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2013, 110; , 281–290.     

Importance of the wild boar in the epidemiology of wild trichinellosis in Piedmont and Liguria

Muscle samples from 1,508 wild boars (Sus scrofa) harvested in Piedmont and Liguria between 1987 and 1990 were examined for larvae of Trichinella sp. by trichinelloscopy and peptic digestion. No wild boar was infected, though trichinellosis was present in foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from the same areas (14 positives out of 608) with the highest prevalence in the mountain range (25.0%). Infection was also not found in 40 stone martens, 5 badgers and 3 stoats. Five vulpine isolates were identified as belonging to T3 zymodeme. These results show that free-ranging wild boars, although being a source of trichinellosis infection for man in Italy (9.2% of the 584 cases diagnosed since 1961), have no significance in maintaining the sylvatic cycle of this parasite in the study area. The data agree with the low infectivity of Italian strains of fox origin for swine seen in the experimental infections carried out so far.     

No signature of Y chromosomal resemblance between possible descendants of the Cimbri in Denmark and Northern Italy

Two European populations are believed to be related to the ancient Germanic tribe Cimbri: one living in Northern Italy, the other living in Jutland, Denmark. The people called Cimbri are documented in the ancient Roman historical record. Arriving from the far north their movements can be tracked from successive battles with the Romans. The Cimbri finally entered Italy from the northeast and were defeated at Vercellae (present day Vercelli) in 101 BC by Gaius Marius and his professional legions. Classical sources from the first centuries AD relate the homeland of the Cimbri to the coasts around the Elb estuary (northern Germany) or specifically towards the north (Himmerland in northern Jutland). In the alpine parts of Veneto, northeast of the historical battlefield, local traditions dating back to late medieval time, identify a local population as Cimbri living in Terra dei Cimbri. They are considered the descendents of the Germanic combatants that fled the battlefield at Vercelli. As the defeated Cimbri that possibly fled to the mountains of Northern Italy most likely would have been male (warriors), the present study investigated the possible Y chromosomal diversity of the two present populations using microsatellite markers and single nucleotide polymorphisms. While Cimbri from Himmerland resembled their geographical neighbors from Denmark for the Y-chromosome markers, Cimbri from Italy were significantly differentiated both from Cimbri from Himmerland and from Danes. Therefore, we were not able to show any biological relationship for uniparentally transmitted markers.     

Reconstruction of pH by chrysophycean scales in some lakes of the Southern Alps

Chrysophycean scales were examined in surface sediments collected from 22 high mountain lakes on the southern slope of the Central Alps, some in Italy and some in Switzerland. The study area receives slightly acidic precipitation and summer lake pH ranges between 5.2 and 8.0. In each lake chrysophycean scale assemblage was dominated by one or two species and its composition was related to lakewater pH. Five short cores were examined in low-alkalinity lakes and evidence of recent lake acidification was found.     

Seasonality of reproduction in wild boar (Sus scrofa) assessed by fecal and plasmatic steroids

The collection of biological samples through non-invasive techniques represents one way of monitoring in vivo physiological changes associated with reproductive activity. Such techniques are particularly important for the study of animal species in the wild.The goals of this study were 1) to evaluate fecal progestogen (P), estrogen (E), and androgen (A) by means of radioimmunoassays, in male and female wild boars culled in the Piedmont, Italy area; 2) to compare them with plasmatic concentrations and the animals’ reproductive status; and 3) to assess variations in reproductive seasonality between two populations of wild boars living in a mountainous vs. a plain habitat in Piedmont.The results demonstrate a positive correlation between fecal and plasmatic steroid concentrations (r = 0.46, 0.58, and 0.45 for plasma P₄ and P, E₂ and E, and T and A; P < 0.05). Moreover, high fecal levels of both P and E (>170 ng/g and >100 pg/g respectively) were found in 70.6% of pregnant sows and in none of the non-pregnant animals, thus supporting the use of this technique for detecting pregnancy status in wild boar.Similar birth patterns were displayed by the mountain and plain populations, but births peaked significantly only in the mountain population, in the spring (46%, P < 0.05, vs. other seasons). A corresponding autumnal peak of plasma testosterone concentrations in males was displayed only by the mountain population (7.4 vs. < 2.0 ng/mL in the other seasons, P < 0.05).The correlation between fecal and plasmatic steroid concentrations obtained in this study supports the applicability of this non-invasive sampling technique for monitoring reproductive status in wild boar, thus enabling a more informed and correct management of the species.     

A panel of polymorphic microsatellites in the threatened Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata)

The Apennine chamois (Rupicapra pyrenaica ornata) is a highly endangered mountain ungulate. About 800 individuals still survive in central Apennines, Italy. Current conservation projects involve genetic identification of single animals, paternity tests, and assessment of relatedness. A suite of 60 microsatellite primer pairs from domestic bovids and cervids revealed polymorphisms for 10 loci, providing evidence for a low level of genetic variability, which might be a consequence of severe population bottlenecks and prolonged permanence at low numbers.     

Winter limnology of a mountain lake: Lago Santo Parmense (Northern Appennines,Italy)

The evolution of some limnological parameters during the ice cover period was studied in a mountain lake in the Northern Apennines: Lago Santo Parmense (1507 m a.s.l.; maximum depth 22.5 m). The changes in the biomass and production rate of the phytoplankton were analyzed in relation to the changes in the various physical, chemical and biological parameters (the thickness of the ice cover; the contents of dissolved oxygen, orthophosphate phosphorus, total phosphorus and other nutrients; the zooplankton biomass). The research was carried out in winter 1973 and 1974. A comparison was made with other mountain lakes with morphometric and trophic characteristics similar to those of Lago Santo Parmense.This research was in part supported by a grant (No. 74.00734.04) of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, ItalyThis research was in part supported by a grant (No. 74.00734.04) of Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Italy