Mt. Amiata (1738 m) is a volcanic peak in central Italy, completely covered with native oak, chestnut and beech forests. In this Natura 2000 site of Community Importance overlying a large shallow aquifer, climate change and the long-range transport of nutrients and contaminants might have negative impacts on relict plants populations and spring water chemistry. To evaluate the atmospheric deposition of trace elements in Mt. Amiata forest ecosystems, we analyzed the elemental composition of topsoils, epiphytic lichens (Parmelia species) and epigeic moss (Hypnum cupressiforme) between 120 and 1730 m a.s.l. along the NW side of the mountain, which is scarcely affected by natural and anthropogenic sources of metals. The elemental composition of the topsoil is mainly influenced by the different lithologies of the study area (calcareous up to an elevation of 700 m, volcanic up to the summit) and only Pb concentrations increased significantly with the altitude. The total element concentrations in cryptogams, particularly net of the possible contribution from soil particles, showed an enhanced accumulation of Pb, Cd, Hg and Zn in samples collected at altitudes above 1300 m, where beech forest are frequently shrouded in clouds and fog and receive more snow and rain than the lower chestnut and oak woods. Interestingly, the older and metabolically inactive tissues at the base of moss shoots, which are usually overlooked in biomonitoring surveys, appeared to behave as long-term accumulators of Pb. The possible mechanisms involved in the increased bioaccumulation of Mn in cryptogams inhabiting chestnut woods are discussed.

Mt. Amiata (1738 m) 是意大利中部的一座火山峰，完全覆盖着原生橡树、板栗和山毛榉森林。在这个覆盖大型浅层含水层的自然 2000 社区重要性站点中，气候变化以及营养物质和污染物的远距离迁移可能对孑遗植物种群和泉水化学产生负面影响。为了评估 Mt. Amiata 森林生态系统中微量元素的大气沉积，我们分析了表土、附生地衣（Parmelia种）和表生苔藓（Hypnum cupressiforme) 沿山的西北侧 120 到 1730 m asl 之间，几乎不受自然和人为金属来源的影响。表层土壤的元素组成主要受研究区不同岩性（海拔700 m以下为石灰质，最高处为火山岩）的影响，只有Pb浓度随海拔升高显着增加。隐花木中的总元素浓度，特别是扣除土壤颗粒可能的贡献后，显示在海拔 1300 m 以上收集的样品中 Pb、Cd、Hg 和 Zn 的积累增加，那里的山毛榉林经常被云雾笼罩并接收比较低的栗树林和橡树林更多的雪和雨。有趣的是，苔藓芽基部较老且代谢不活跃的组织，在生物监测调查中通常会被忽视，但它们似乎表现为铅的长期蓄积者。讨论了栖息在栗树林中的隐花植物中锰的生物积累增加的可能机制。