Anagaw Atickem Meshesha
Other projects
23 May 2011
The Distribution Pattern and Behavioural Ecology of the Newly Identified Cryptic African Wolf
10 Feb 2014
The search on the Golden Jackal (Canis aureus) and a Genetically Distinct Lion (Panthera leo) of Ethiopia
Species conservation status assigned by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a key guide in prioritizing conservation efforts. However, the recent rise in number of cryptic species, even in large conspecific mammals like African wolf, Giraffe and Elephant species, has created increasing concern that many cryptic species may be threated without the recognition of IUCN. This project aims to confirm my findings of two cryptic species - one a canid, the other a suid - applying genome wide sequencing. I also aim to study human-carnivore conflict resolution management techniques aimed at reducing livestock predation in the Ethiopian highlands.
Bush pig.
Species conservation status assigned by The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is a key guide in prioritizing conservation efforts. However, the recent rise in number of cryptic species, even in large conspecific mammals like African wolf, Giraffe and Elephant species, has created increasing concern that many cryptic species may be threated without the recognition of IUCN (Roca et al. 2001; Rueness et al. 2011; Fennessy et al. 2016). On the other hand, the red wolf Canis rufus which once believed to be a distinct species and recorded as critically endangered by IUCN (Kelly et al. 2008), was found to be rather hybrid of coyote (75 percent) and Gray wolf (25 percent; vonHoldt et al. 2016). The application of the molecular methods in taxonomy becomes increasingly important for better understanding of the taxonomic relationship of wide range of taxon (Volkmann et al. 2014).
This project aims to address the canids and suidae taxonomy with the application of next Next-generation sequencing. The black backed jackal has two separate populations in Africa, southern population (C. m. mesomelas) and eastern population (C. m. schmidti; Hoffmann, 2014). Mitochondrial DNA reveals the divergence between the two taxon is by far larger than the genetic distance in between other canids. Our preliminary molecular analysis of the Ethiopian Bush pig also reveals a conflicting taxonomic position between the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA. With this project, we will clarify the taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship of these species.
The other component of the project is study human-carnivore conflict resolution management techniques aimed at reducing livestock predation in the Ethiopian highlands. Hyena is the most serious predator in Bale Mountains while African wolf is the most serious predator Bale mountains (Atickem et al. 2013; Atickem et al. 2017). We knew the hyena density is high in both localities, and the difference in livestock predation by this species is likely to be as a result of livestock management. This project develops techniques in minimizing the loss.
References:
Atickem et al. (2010). Afr. J. Ecol. 48:1076–1082.
Atickem et al. (2017). African journal of ecology. African Journal of ecology
Fennessy et al. (2016). Current Biology 27: 137–138.
Roca et al. (2001). Science. 293(5534):1473–1477.
Rueness et al. (2011). PLoS One 6, e16385.
vonHoldt et al. (2016). Sci. Adv. 2016; 2 : e15