Sexual signaling is an important reproductive barrier known to evolve early during the formation of new species, but the genetic mechanisms that facilitate the divergence of sexual signals remain ...elusive. Here we isolate a gene linked to the rapid evolution of a signaling trait in a pair of nascent neotropical orchid bee lineages, Euglossa dilemma and E. viridissima. Male orchid bees acquire chemical compounds from their environment to concoct species-specific perfumes to later expose during courtship. We find that the two lineages acquire chemically distinct perfumes and are reproductively isolated despite low levels of genome-wide differentiation. Remarkably, variation in perfume chemistry coincides with rapid divergence in few odorant receptor (OR) genes. Using functional assays, we demonstrate that the derived variant of Or41 in E. dilemma is specific towards its species-specific major perfume compound, whereas the ancestral variant in E. viridissima is broadly tuned to multiple odorants. Our results show that OR evolution likely played a role in the divergence of sexual communication in natural populations.
Abstract
Aim
Most biodiversity studies have considered species to be isolated entities, neglecting the fact that their biotic interactions and spatial variation are fundamental to their persistence ...across elevational gradients. Here, using a standardized sampling methodology, we evaluated how and why the composition of flower–visitor interactions (i.e. beta diversity) varies over an extensive elevational gradient. Specifically, we aimed to identify which biotic (species turnover) and abiotic factors (temperature, precipitation and primary productivity) inherent to elevational gradients can explain the distribution of floral visitor–plant interactions.
Location
Mexican Transition Zone.
Taxon
Angiosperms, Hymenoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hemiptera and Coleoptera.
Methods
We sampled ecological interactions between floral visitors and flowering plants at 10 sites along an elevational gradient from 4 to 3425 m.a.s.l. We measured the additive partitioning of the beta diversity of species interactions and used generalized dissimilarity modelling to assess how spatial and environmental factors can explain the observed dissimilarity.
Results
We found that the composition of interactions between floral visitors and plant species differs from lowlands to highlands mainly due to differences in temperature across the studied elevation gradient, rather than geographical distance or other environmental factors (i.e. mean annual precipitation and net primary productivity). We also observed that the main component of the beta diversity of interactions was interaction turnover driven by the turnover of both plants and floral visitors along the elevation gradient studied, which may be influenced by both temperature and the biogeographical affinity of biotas.
Main Conclusions
We conclude that environmental filters play a crucial role in the establishment of novel interactions, as temperature can filter species and impact the behaviour and traits of floral visitors and plants across an elevational gradient. These findings underscore the importance of considering the role of abiotic factors in predicting and explaining the distribution of species interactions across different elevational gradients.
Solvents play a primary role in the chemical industry, with an increasing regulatory pressure urging to find more benign replacements for conventional fossil-derived solvents. Efficient methods for ...rational screening, considering the wide variety of green solvent alternatives, are key to promote sustainable processes based on neoteric solvents. This paper summarizes recent advances on green solvent screening using computer-aided methods focused on macroscale modeling of phase equilibrium properties. Particular attention is paid to quantum chemistry methods based on Conductor-like Screening Model (COSMO) as a tool for guiding solvent selection from thermodynamic performance indicators. Integrated methods based on COSMO-derived molecular descriptors combined with molecular and large data-based methods are revised as significant approaches for multiobjective problems. Relevant solvent screening applications for separation operations, reactive systems, and environmental and health properties estimation are reviewed. Future prospects for the design of sustainable industrial systems based on green solvents using in silico strategies are discussed.
Herein we report a dinuclear (μ-mbpymNO){(tmh)3Dy}2 (1) single-molecule magnet (SMM) showing two nonequivalent DyIII centers, which was rationally prepared from the reaction of Dy(tmh)3 moieties ...(tmh = 2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate) and the asymmetric bis-bidentate bridging ligand 4-methylbipyrimidine (mbpymNO). Depending on whether the DyIII ions coordinate to the N^O or N^N bidentate donor sets, the DyIII sites present a NO7 (D 2d geometry) or N2O6 (D 4d ) coordination sphere. As a consequence, two different thermally activated magnetic relaxation processes are observed with anisotropy barriers of 47.8 and 54.7 K. Ab initio calculations confirm the existence of two different relaxation phenomena and allow one to assign the 47.8 and 54.7 K energy barriers to the Dy(N2O6) and Dy(NO7) sites, respectively. Two mononuclear complexes, Dy(tta)3(mbpymNO) (2) and Dy(tmh)3(phenNO) (3), have also been prepared for comparative purposes. In both cases, the DyIII center shows a NO7 coordination sphere and SMM behavior is observed with U eff values of 71.5 K (2) and 120.7 K (3). In all three cases, ab initio calculations indicate that relaxation of the magnetization takes place mainly via the first excited-state Kramers doublet through Orbach, Raman, and thermally assisted quantum-tunnelling mechanisms. Pulse magnetization measurements reveal that the dinuclear and mononuclear complexes exhibit hysteresis loops with double- and single-step structures, respectively, thus supporting their SMM behavior.
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•Natural antioxidants as phenolic compounds are present in food by-products.•Extraction of phenolic compounds promotes food processing waste valorization.•Neoteric solvents can ...replace conventional organic solvents for extraction.•Ionic liquids, eutectic solvents and bio-solvents are promising extractants.
The loss and waste of food is a matter of great concern, leading to a multifaceted problem with negative economic, social, and environmental impacts as addressed in the UN Sustainable Development Goals number 2: zero hunger. The wine, fruit juice and vegetable oil processing industries generate significant amounts of wastes and side streams containing potentially valuable bioactive compounds. Some of them are plant secondary phenolic metabolites that offer remarkable health benefits (as antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds). One of the current challenges is the recovery of such bioactive compounds from residual matrices for further applications in food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. Within this framework and in the scope of the Green Chemistry concept, one of the current challenges is to find eco-efficient techniques for the recovery of bioactive compounds. In this context, neoteric solvents are considered a greener alternative to traditional solvents, as the latter are more harmful to human and animal health, and environment. This overview focuses on recent advances in the use of hydrophobic neoteric solvents, i.e. ionic liquids, eutectic solvents, and bio-based solvents, for liquid–liquid extraction of phenolic compounds from liquid agri-food matrices.
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•Hydrophobic eutectic solvents with ammonium salts and natural compounds were formed.•Liquid-liquid extraction of wine-derived phenolic antioxidants was optimized.•Extraction ...efficiencies were determined by spectrophotometric methods and HPLC.•N8881Cl-based HESs can efficiently recover wine-derived phenolic antioxidants.•Hydrophobic eutectic solvents are promising for winery wastewater treatment.
Global food waste is a far-reaching problem, where the recovery of high-value compounds from agri-food effluents using green solvents is an attractive valorisation strategy. Wine industry is an important business sector which generates significant volumes of wastewater, with negative economic and environmental implications. However, winery wastewater can be exploited as a rich source of phenolic antioxidants for food and fine chemical applications. For that purpose, the main goal of this work is the recovery of wine-derived phenolic compounds from liquid effluents using hydrophobic eutectic solvents (HESs). In particular, HESs composed of ammonium salts, DL-menthol and fatty acids, were prepared and evaluated for liquid–liquid extraction of phenolic compounds from synthetic winery wastewater. To achieve optimum extraction performance, the experimental conditions were optimized, including extraction time, solvent to feed volume ratio, dilution factor and type of HESs. The extraction method developed was used for the efficient extraction of natural antioxidants from wine-derived samples and gallic acid from aqueous solutions. The extracted phenolic compounds were quantified and determined by spectrophotometric methods and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The experimental results showed satisfactory recoveries of the target compounds within the range of 64.14–84.10% from winery wastewater and recoveries between 74.86 and 92.31% from gallic acid solutions. Chloride ammonium salts-based HESs, especially N8881Cl-DL-Menthol and N8881Cl-Octanoic acid, proved the highest potential for phenolic compounds recovery from winery wastewater matrices and aqueous solutions. Finally, the antioxidant capacity of the extracts was confirmed.
To achieve a successful liquid–liquid extraction, the selection of the biphasic system is crucial for the proper separation of the solutes of interest. The number of biphasic systems that can be ...employed is vast, requiring a large amount of time and cost to experimentally determine the most suitable for each application. The use of computational methods to predict partition coefficients in biphasic systems is of great interest to design and select the most appropriate. COSMO-RS, a quantum chemical computational tool that requires only the chemical structure of the compounds for calculations, would be an ideal tool for that purpose. Here, we present a systematic evaluation of COSMO-RS as a predictive tool for partition coefficients. Its performance was evaluated for the partitioning of 228 solutes in 9 binary and 3 ternary organic biphasic systems (OBS). The results show that the use of COSMO-RS with TZVPD_FINE parametrization allows for very good predictions. They also show that predictions are greatly dependent on an accurate description of the compositions of the phases in equilibrium. Thus, the use of experimental mutual solubilities (binary OBS) or tie lines (ternary OBS) when available is the most suitable option for this purpose. In the case of using a total predictive tool, TZVPD_FINE parametrization can properly predict both mutual solubilities and tie lines, so it can also be used for the estimation of partition coefficients in an OBS. Therefore, the COSMO-RS method is demonstrated here to be a useful and reliable tool to predict partition coefficients in binary and ternary OBS, which can be used for the screening and selection of the most appropriate system to be used in a separation process.
The petrochemical sector will play a crucial role in developing low-carbon transition technologies, but the industry also contributes a significant proportion of greenhouse gas emissions. Momentum is ...building to help reduce the carbon footprint of this hard-to-abate sector, particularly through replacing fossil carbon feedstocks with carbon from biomass, captured CO2, and other recycled resources, but the broader implications of these so-called “solutions” remain unclear. Here, we assess the overall sustainability of such “renewable carbon pathways” by quantifying their life-cycle environmental footprints with respect to the previously defined nine planetary boundaries. We show that although a shift toward renewable carbon pathways could indeed reduce CO2 emissions by 25% to over 100%, the scenario with the lowest carbon footprint could exceed the biodiversity planetary boundary by at least 30%. Our work highlights the potential pitfalls of overlooking global environmental guardrails beyond greenhouse gas emissions reduction and identifies new avenues for quantifying the environmental footprint of decarbonization solutions for hard-to-abate sectors.
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The petrochemical industry requires 25% of Earth’s operating capacitySustainability of 50 “renewable” carbon routes for the petrochemical sector was examinedRoutes with largest CO2 savings transgress Earth’s biodiversity boundary by 30%Planetary boundaries should be incorporated in decarbonization planning
Using novel decarbonization technologies to curb carbon emissions in the hard-to-abate industrial sectors has received increasing attention in combatting climate change. However, sustainability assessments of such technologies are often limited to carbon footprint analyses and CO2-emission-saving potential.
Here, we assessed the impact of transitioning away from fossil and toward renewable carbon feedstocks in the petrochemical industry relative to Earth’s nine planetary boundaries. We found that decision- and policy-making focused solely on mitigating CO2 emissions in the petrochemical sector could lead to actions that severely exacerbate biodiversity loss and compromise Earth’s resilience. Our results highlight the need for holistic environmental analyses beyond carbon mitigation potential to guide low-carbon transitions underpinning sustainable development.
Transformative actions to decarbonize the chemical sector, such as using alternative non-fossil carbon feedstocks, should be assessed relative to the planetary boundaries to understand the overall environmental implications. Our study reveals that replacing fossil feedstocks with “renewable” carbon can reduce CO2 emissions by 25% to 100%. However, the technology pathways that offer the highest CO2 mitigation could compromise biosphere integrity. Our work highlights the importance to consider overall sustainability in decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors.
•Extraction efficiency of phenols from water using ionic liquids was analyzed.•Aromatic versus non-aromatic ionic liquids were compared.•Phenol, o-cresol and resorcinol can be easily extracted from ...water.•The highest extraction efficiencies were obtained with the pyrrolidinium-based IL.•COSMO-RS supports that not only aromaticity but hydrogen bonding drives extraction.
The main goal of this work is to compare the ability of aromatic and non-aromatic ionic liquids (ILs) as potential solvents to extract phenolic compounds from aqueous systems. Although these liquid salts have been widely studied in the separation of organic compounds, especially aromatic hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and isomer xylenes, their application to separate phenols from wastewater is still much less widespread. For that reason, in this work, the extraction efficiency of phenolic compounds in molecular form (phenol, o-cresol, and resorcinol) from water using non-aromatic (1-hexyl-1-methylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, HMpyrNTf2) and aromatic (1-hexyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide, HMimNTf2) ILs was analyzed and discussed. Firstly, the optimal operating conditions (stirring and settling time, and phase volume ratio Vionic liquid/Vwater) were stablished and then other variables such as initial phenol concentration and temperature were also studied. This work was performed through equilibrium distribution studies and the tracking of the concentration of phenol was carried out by absorbance measurements using a UV/visible spectrophotometer.
In order to provide a better understanding of the effect of the cation nature (aromatic and non-aromatic) as well as the role of the phenolic structure on the extraction ability of the ILs, the quantum chemical COSMO –RS method was used to seek an explanation in terms of molecular interactions between the solvents and the phenolic compounds. Overall results support that the aromatic nature of cations does not seem to be the predominant factor driving the extraction process, with hydrogen bonding significantly contributing to competitive solute-solvent interactions which promote the transfer of the phenolic compounds from the aqueous phase to the IL phase.
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