Dereje Tesfaye Delkaso

Academic interests

I am PhD student at CEES with the project on the behavioural ecology of Colobus guereza gallarum and intraspecific genetic divergence between subspecies of the Colobus guereza, in Ethiopia. C. g. gallarum is one of the subspecies of Colobus gureza, which is categorized as Data Deficient by IUCN. However, the existence of the subspecies is reported from the Ethiopian Highlands east of the Rift Valley, little is known on the distribution pattern, ecology and its genetics. It is evident that, Ethiopian forest is shrinking during the last few decades, and lack of information on the basic ecology and distribution pattern of many species complicates the conservation effort. Hence, understanding the taxonomic relationship and obtaining background ecological data for those subspecies with no data are important steps for effective conservation management. Therefore, my research aims to both understand the taxonomic position of Colobus guereza as a species using molecular genetics and to provide detailed behavioural ecology data for the conservation of the little-known subspecies, C. g. gallarum. The taxonomic study of C. guereza will be carried out using mitochondrial DNA (Cytb, 12s. 16s and COI) sequencing by sampling all the eight subspecies. We will extract DNA primarily from fecal (pellet) samples, but tissue and hair samples from museums also will be used whenever available. The distribution of C. g. gallarum will be determined in the Ethiopian highlands east of the Rift Valley, foraging ecology, activity pattern and grouping behaviour of the subspecies will be studied to fulfil information gap about the study animal. I was working on Boutourlini’s blue monkey (Cercopithecus mitis boutourlinii) and Colobus guereza guereza. I am  also interested to study threatened mammals of Ethiopia.

Publications

Dereje Tesfaye, Peter J. Fashing, Afework Bekele, Addisu Mekonnen and Anagaw Atickem (2013). Ecological Flexibility in Boutourlini’s Blue Monkeys (Cercopithecus mitis boutourlinii) in Jibat Forest, Ethiopia: A Comparison of Habitat Use, Ranging Behavior, and Diet in Intact and Fragmented Forest. Int J Primatol 34: 615-640.

Solomon Chanie and Dereje Tesfaye (2015). Threats of biodiversity conservation and ecotourismactivities in Nechsar Nationa National park, Ethiopia. Int. J. Biodivers. Conserv. 7(2): 130-139.

  • Delkaso, Dereje Tesfaye; Fashing, Peter; Atickem, Anagaw Meshesha; Bekele, Afework & Stenseth, Nils Christian (2021). Feeding Ecology of the Omo River Guereza (Colobus guereza guereza) in Habitats with Varying Levels of Fragmentation and Disturbance in the Southern Ethiopian Highlands. International Journal of Primatology. ISSN 0164-0291. 42(1), p. 64–88. doi: 10.1007/s10764-020-00189-w.
  • Lobie, Tekle Airgecho; Delkaso, Dereje Tesfaye & Abrham, Aklilu (2020). A narrative synthesis on COVID-19 risks and concerns in developing countries: The case of Ethiopia. Journal of Public Health and Epidemiology. ISSN 2141-2316. 12(2), p. 86–97. doi: 10.5897/JPHE2020.1221.
  • Zinner, Dietmar; Delkaso, Dereje Tesfaye; Stenseth, Nils Christian; Bekele, Afework; Mekonnen, Aemro & Doeschner, Steve [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2019). Is Colobus guereza gallarum a valid endemic Ethiopian taxon? Primate Biology (PB). ISSN 2363-4707. 6(1), p. 7–16. doi: 10.5194/pb-6-7-2019. Full text in Research Archive

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  • Delkaso, Dereje Tesfaye (2017). Effects of fragmentation on the activity and ranging behavior of Colobus guereza gallarum.
  • Delkaso, Dereje Tesfaye (2016). Foraging ecology Colobus guereza gallarum in the Ethiopian highlands and its phylogenetic relationships with the widely distributed Colobus guereza populations.

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Published Oct. 8, 2014 3:43 PM - Last modified Mar. 9, 2023 3:11 PM

Projects