Guiana Space Centre

Natural selection can drive the evolution of similar traits through convergent evolution. Short peptides identical to the vertebrate hormone bradykinin (BK) have been reported from the venoms and skin secretions of certain species of wasps (order Hymenoptera) and frogs (order Anura), respectively. In this study, we demonstrate that the genes encoding the BK-like peptides of hymenopteran venoms and anuran skin secretions do not share common ancestry with that of the vertebrate hormone but instead independently evolved multiple times from peptide toxin genes. These peptides serve a defensive function against vertebrate predators and their resemblance to BK was driven by selection for efficacy at the predators' receptors. Our findings highlight how natural selection can drive repeated convergent evolution of similar molecules across distantly related lineages.

Abstract Limosa fedoa, the Marbled Godwit, is a large shorebird that breeds in the grasslands of the northern United States and southern Canada, and winters along the coast of the United States, Mexico, and Central America, occasionally reaching the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of South America. During fieldwork along the coasts of Suriname, French Guiana, and Guyana in 2023–2025, small numbers of the species were observed, representing the first records for the three Guianas. These records expand geographical knowledge of the distribution of the species on the north coast of South America. Keywords French Guiana, Guyana, Limosa fedoa, Marbled Godwit, Suriname, Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network Resumen Primeras observaciones de Limosa fedoa (Aguja Canela) en Surinam, Guayana Francesa y Guyana • Limosa fedoa, conocida como Aguja Canela, es una ave playera de gran tamaño que se reproduce en los praderas del norte de los Estados Unidos y el sur de Canadá e inverna a lo largo de la costa de los Estados Unidos, México y América Central; alcanzando ocasionalmente las costas del Pacífico y del Atlántico de América del Sur. Durante trabajos de campo a lo largo de la costa de Surinam, Guayana Francesa y Guyana en 2023–2025, se observaron pequeños grupos de esta especie, lo que representa los primeros registros para las tres Guayanas. Estos registros amplían el conocimiento geográfico de la distribución de la especie en la costa norte de América del Sur. Palabras clave Avoceta Parda, Guyana, Guyana Francesa, Limosa fedoa, Res Hemisférica de Reservas para Aves Playeras, Suriname Résumé Premières observations de Limosa fedoa (Barge marbrée) au Suriname, en Guyane française et au Guyana • Limosa fedoa, la Barge marbrée, est un grand limicole qui se reproduit dans les prairies du nord des États-Unis d’Amérique et du sud du Canada, et qui hiverne le long des côtes des États-Unis, du Mexique et de l’Amérique centrale, atteignant parfois les côtes du Pacifique et de l’Atlantique de l’Amérique du Sud. Lors de travaux de terrain le long des côtes du Suriname, de la Guyane française et du Guyana en 2023–2025, l’espèce a été observée en petits nombres, ce qui représente les premières mentions pour les trois Guyanes. Ces signalements élargissent la connaissance géographique de la répartition de l’espèce sur les côtes nord de l’Amérique du Sud. Mots clés Barge marbrée, Guyana, Guyane française, Limosa fedoa, Réseau de réserves d'oiseaux de rivage de l'hémisphère occidental, Suriname

Forests are a substantial terrestrial carbon sink, but anthropogenic changes in land use and climate have considerably reduced the scale of this system1. Remote-sensing estimates to quantify carbon losses from global forests2–5 are characterized by considerable uncertainty and we lack a comprehensive ground-sourced evaluation to benchmark these estimates. Here we combine several ground-sourced6 and satellite-derived approaches2,7,8 to evaluate the scale of the global forest carbon potential outside agricultural and urban lands. Despite regional variation, the predictions demonstrated remarkable consistency at a global scale, with only a 12% difference between the ground-sourced and satellite-derived estimates. At present, global forest carbon storage is markedly under the natural potential, with a total deficit of 226 Gt (model range = 151–363 Gt) in areas with low human footprint. Most (61%, 139 Gt C) of this potential is in areas with existing forests, in which ecosystem protection can allow forests to recover to maturity. The remaining 39% (87 Gt C) of potential lies in regions in which forests have been removed or fragmented. Although forests cannot be a substitute for emissions reductions, our results support the idea2,3,9 that the conservation, restoration and sustainable management of diverse forests offer valuable contributions to meeting global climate and biodiversity targets.

Abstract The African weaver ant Oecophylla longinoda builds woven leaf nests inside tree canopies and is a major conservation biocontrol agent in sub‐Saharan Africa. Weaver ant colonies provide well‐protected and resource‐rich environments for many associated trophobionts, thereby boosting their establishment on host plants. There is very little published literature on O. longinoda , their hosts plants and their associated trophobionts in West Africa. These tri‐trophic interactions were studied over a period of four consecutive years (2010–2013) from south to north Benin. Our fieldwork revealed that all O. longinoda colonies were consistently associated with trophobionts . Oecophylla longinoda nests were recorded on 82 plant species belonging to 30 families, with 35 associated trophobiont species representing 11 families. Among cultivated plants, Mangifera indica was the most common species hosting O. longinoda , while Sarcocephalus latifolius the most frequent native one. Among trophobionts, Parasaissetia nigra , Udinia catori , Udinia farquharsoni (Coccidae) and Stictococcus sjostedti (Stictococcidae) were the most common hemipterans associated with O. longinoda . We identified a wide range of host plants that could be preserved (or planted) to promote the establishment of weaver ants to control different insect pests in fruit plantations in sub‐Saharan Africa. When planted around fruit plantations with their nests and tended hemipterans, these host plants could facilitate biocontrol of mango fruit flies (Tephritidae) and cashew bugs (Coreidae, Miridae), by O. longinoda in the fruit plantations.

A third species of Amazonopsis Barr, 2018, Amazonopsis cerdani Barr and Cerdan, new species (Coleoptera: Elmidae), is herein described from French Guiana. One female paratype of Amazonopsis theranyi Barr from Peru is tentatively reassigned to A. cerdani as a non-paratype. Photographic images of the male and female habitus, and the male genitalia, are provided, as is a distribution map and a key to the species. Amazonopsis cerdani differs from A. theranyi from Peru and Amazonopsis camachoi Barr from Venezuela by the presence of prominent spines on protarsomeres 1–4 of males, among other characters. The habitat of this species is small, shallow, lowland streams with sandy-silty substrates and low flow. Specimens were collected from unconsolidated leaf litter in depositional areas, and from stick and leaf packs lodged in the current. Genetic analysis conducted on three specimens from two localities, a male and two females, showed that they are conspecific.