The crystalline basement of New Zealand shows a chi-shaped combination of the straight Alpine Fault and a curved late Paleozoic continental margin, so that the plutonic basement of northern Fiordland converges toward the plane of the Alpine Fault. On the ground along Milford Sound the petrography suggests (1) a gradual change from amphibolite and granulite fades in the west to igneous fabrics d...

The major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a crucial component of the vertebrate immune system and shows extremely high levels of genetic polymorphism. The extraordinary genetic variation is thought to be ancient polymorphisms maintained by balancing selection. However, introgression from related species was recently proposed as an additional mechanism. Here we provide evidence for introgres...

-UNIFORMITY OF SUCCESSIVE POPULATIONS OF AN ALPINE GRASSHOPPER WITH A TWO YEAR DIAPAUSE. Aeropedellus clavatus (Thomas), an abundant grasshopper in the alpine tundra of Colorado, has a two-year diapause. This suggests the possibility of two distinct populations in successive years. Statistical analysis of samples from three alpine localities on Mount Evans, Colorado, collected in 1958, 1959, an...

Alpine forages are assumed to have specific effects on ruminal digestion when fed to cattle. These effects were investigated in an experiment from two perspectives, either by using such forages as a substrate for incubation or as feed for a rumen fluid donor cow. In total, six 24-h in vitro batch culture runs were performed. Rumen fluid was collected from a non-lactating donor cow after having ...

Abstract Although the Balkan Peninsula belongs to most mountainous regions of Europe, phylogeographic structure its alpine flora remains insufficiently understood, especially for species distributed both in western and eastern parts Peninsula. We analyzed Campanula orbelica , a endemic typical high-mountain siliceous grasslands, based on population genetic structure, climatic niche modeling at ...

Historical datasets of living communities are important because they can be used to document creeping shifts in species compositions. Such a historical data set exists for alpine fungi. From 1941 to 1953, the Swiss geologist Jules Favre visited yearly the region of the Swiss National Park and recorded the occurring fruiting bodies of fungi >1 mm (so-called "macrofungi") in the alpine zone. Favr...

Alpine meadow ecosystems are susceptible to climate changes. Still, climate impact on cuticular wax in alpine meadow plants is poorly understood. Assessing the variations of cuticular wax in alpine meadow plants across different latitudes might be useful for predicting how they may respond to climate change. We studied nine alpine meadows in a climate gradient in the east side of Qinghai-Tibeta...

Abstract This report summarizes the activities and achievements of Eurasian Dry Grassland Group (EDGG) from July 2019 to December 2020. During this period, Covid-19 allowed only one live event, 14th EDGG Field Workshop alpine vegetation Switzerland, organised ad hoc as a replacement for cancelled in Ukrainian steppes. The Conference Spain found partial “Talk Grasslands!”, series online talks du...

A near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) application was developed to discriminate Asiago d'Allevo cheese coming from different production chains (alpine farms, mountain and lowland factories). One hundred wheels were collected in different seasons from all productive sites of Asiago d'Allevo: 14 alpine farms and 8 mountain and 13 lowland factories. Samples were analyzed for chemical composition and...

Climate warming strongly influences reproductive phenology of plants in alpine and Arctic ecosystems. Here, we focus on phenological shifts caused by experimental warming in a typical alpine meadow on the Tibetan Plateau. Under soil water stress caused by warming, most plants in the alpine meadow advanced or delayed their reproductive events to be aligned with the timing of peak rainfall. As a ...