Sphagnum mosses, the impact of disturbances and anthropogenic management actions on their ecological role in CO2 fluxes generated in peatland ecosystems.

Mosses of the genus Sphagnum are the dominant vegetation in most pristine peatlands in temperate and high-latitude regions. They play a crucial role in carbon sequestration, being responsible for ca. 50% of carbon accumulation through their active participation in peat formation. They have a significant influence on the dynamics of CO2 emissions due to an efficient maximum potential photosynthetic rate, lower respiration rates, and the production of a recalcitrant litter whose decomposition is gradual. However, various anthropogenic disturbances and land use management actions that favor its reestablishment have the potential to modify the dynamics of these CO2 emissions. Therefore, the objective of this review is to discuss the role of Sphagnum in CO2 emissions generated in peatland ecosystems, and to understand the impacts of anthropogenic practices favorable and detrimental to Sphagnum on these emissions. Based on our review, increased Sphagnum cover reduces CO2 emissions and fosters C sequestration, but drainage transforms peatlands dominated by Sphagnum into a persistent source of CO2 due to lower gross primary productivity of the moss and increased respiration rates. Sites with moss removal used as donor material for peatland restoration emit twice as much CO2 as adjacent undisturbed natural sites, and those with commercial Sphagnum extraction generate almost neutral CO2 emissions, yet both can recover their sink status in the short term. The reintroduction of fragments and natural recolonization of Sphagnum in transitional peatlands, can reduce emissions, recover, or increase the CO2 sink function in the short and medium term. Furthermore, Sphagnum paludiculture is seen as a sustainable alternative for the use of transitional peatlands, allowing moss production strips to become CO2 sink, however, it is necessary to quantify the emissions of all the components of the field of production (ditches, causeway), and the biomass harvested from the moss to establish a final closing balance of C.

Phenylalanine-Based Co2+ and Cd2+ 1D Coordination Polymers: Structural Properties and Catalytic Application for Solvent-Free Aerobic Oxidation of Cycloalkene.

Two 1D coordination polymers (CPs) with general formula [M(L)(H2O)(AcO)]n, (M = Co (1) or Cd (2), AcO = acetate anion and L denotes l-phenylalanine based ligand), were synthesized and fully characterized by various spectroscopies (UV-vis, FTIR, and NMR), thermal techniques, magnetic measurements (for 1), and single-crystal and powder X-ray diffraction studies. They can be described as "ribbon-like" 1D polymers constructed through a zigzag arrangement. The polymeric structure is developed due to the coordination mode adopted by the amino acid ligand, classified as µ3-N1O1:O1:O2, which simultaneously links three metal centers. This moiety also plays an important role as a magnetic coupler between metal centers in the cobalt system, which shows a weak antiferromagnetic interaction. Both CPs have also been used in the catalytic oxidation of cyclohexene with molecular oxygen (O2) as an oxidant. Under mild conditions, both compounds demonstrated remarkable catalytic activity, with the cobalt system being more efficient than the cadmium analogue (conversion: 73 and 58% and selectivity for the major product, 2-cyclohexanone: 63 and 55%, for 1 and 2, respectively). Leaching experiments and the results obtained using a radical quencher are consistent with a radical-mediated mechanism for the Co compound. The presence of the superoxide radical was also confirmed using EPR spectroscopy and DMPO as a spin trap, which was further validated by DFT calculations. The activity observed for the Cd analogue is attributed to the organic scaffold assisted by the templating effect of the metal ion.

High vulnerability of coastal wetlands in Chile at multiple scales derived from climate change, urbanization, and exotic forest plantations.

Coastal wetlands are considered one of the most vulnerable ecosystems worldwide; the ecosystem services they provide and the conservation of their biodiversity are threatened. Despite the high ecological and socioenvironmental value of coastal wetlands, regional and national vulnerability assessments are scarce. In this study we aimed to assess the vulnerability of coastal wetlands in Chile from 18°S to 42°S (n = 757) under a multiscale approach that included drivers associated with climate change and land cover change. We assessed multiple drivers of vulnerability at three spatial scales (10 m, 100 m, and 500 m) by analyzing multiple remote sensing data (16 variables) on land cover change, wildfires, climatic variables, vegetation functional properties, water surface and importance for biodiversity. We constructed a multifactorial vulnerability index based on the variables analyzed, which provided a map of coastal wetland vulnerability. Then we explored the main drivers associated with the vulnerability of each coastal wetland by performing a Principal Components Analysis with Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering, which allowed us to group coastal wetlands according to the drivers analyzed. We found that 42.6 ± 9.2 % of the coastal wetlands evaluated have high or very high vulnerability, with higher vulnerability at the 500 m scale (51.4 %). We identified four groups of coastal wetlands: two located in central Chile, mainly affected by climate change-associated drivers (41.9 ± 2.1 %), and one in central Chile which is affected by land cover change (52.8 ± 6.2 %); the latter has a lower vulnerability level. The most vulnerable coastal wetlands were located in central Chile. Our results present novel findings about the current vulnerability of coastal wetlands, which could be validated by governmental institutions in field campaigns. Finally, we believe that our methodological approach could be useful to generate similar assessments in other world zones.

Oxoisoaporphines and Aporphines: Versatile Molecules with Anticancer Effects.

Cancer is a disease that involves impaired genome stability with a high mortality index globally. Since its discovery, many have searched for effective treatment, assessing different molecules for their anticancer activity. One of the most studied sources for anticancer therapy is natural compounds and their derivates, like alkaloids, which are organic molecules containing nitrogen atoms in their structure. Among them, oxoisoaporphine and sampangine compounds are receiving increased attention due to their potential anticancer effects. Boldine has also been tested as an anticancer molecule. Boldine is the primary alkaloid extract from boldo, an endemic tree in Chile. These compounds and their derivatives have unique structural properties that potentially have an anticancer mechanism. Different studies showed that this molecule can target cancer cells through several mechanisms, including reactive oxygen species generation, DNA binding, and telomerase enzyme inhibition. In this review, we summarize the state-of-art research related to oxoisoaporphine, sampangine, and boldine, with emphasis on their structural characteristics and the relationship between structure, activity, methods of extraction or synthesis, and anticancer mechanism. With an effective cancer therapy still lacking, these three compounds are good candidates for new anticancer research.

The layered structure of poly[[hexaaqua(µ4-benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylato)dicopper(II)] tetrahydrate].

In the structure of the title compound, {[Cu2(C10H2O8)(H2O)6]·4H2O}n, the benzene-1,2,4,5-tetracarboxylate ligand, (btec)(4-), is located on a crystallographic inversion centre in a µ4-coordination mode. The coordination environment of each pentacoordinated Cu(II) centre is square pyramidal (SBP), formed by three water molecules and two carboxylate O atoms from two different (btec)(4-) ligands. The completely deprotonated (btec)(4-) ligand coordinates in a monodentate mode to four Cu(II) atoms. The alternation of (btec)(4-) ligands and SBP Cu(II) centres leads to the formation of a planar two-dimensional covalent network of parallelograms, parallel to the ab plane. Hydrogen bonds between a basal water molecule and an apical one from an adjacent [Cu(btec)0.5(H2O)3] unit exist in the intralayer space. Hydrogen bonds are also present between the two-dimensional network and the water molecules filling the channels in the structure.