Marginalized Groups of Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) Living in and around the Highly Disturbed Mount Guna Community Conservation Area, Northwest Ethiopia

Gelada (Theropithecus gelada) is the only surviving primate of the genus Theropithecus that is endemic to Ethiopia. It adapted to live in afroalpine and subafroalpine ecosystems of the Ethiopian alpine. Although it is at risk of habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and deforestation, gelada has been classified as a least concern by the IUCN. Gelada has great importance as it represents the Ethiopian national treasure which brings tourists to the country. However, no proper gelada census has been carried out in and around Mount Guna (Mt. Guna). Therefore, the current study aimed to provide an accurate count of gelada individuals living in the study area. Total count along line transects was carried out from January 1–May 30, 2018, to estimate the population of gelada. According to the current result, gelada individuals counted from the entire sites of Mt. Guna were estimated to be 56. Forty-two gelada individuals were counted from outside the protected area, while 14 of them were from the protected area. There was a significant difference between gelada individuals counted from inside and outside the protected areas (P = 0.047). The ratio of age-sex of geladas also computed to be adult males: adult females: subadult males: subadult females: immature is 1 : 3.12 : 0.88 : 1.25 : 0.75 for the total population. Furthermore, five groups of geladas were observed outside the Mt. Guna community conservation area at three sites, while only one group of geladas was identified from the protected area. Based on the current result, we recommend further research to study the population trend, fertility problems, and conservation mechanisms of geladas living within the agricultural land and human-gelada conflicts around Mt. Guna.

Bridging Captive and Wild Studies: Behavioral Plasticity and Social Complexity in Theropithecus gelada

Cognitive ethology explores the ability of animals to flexibly adapt their behavior to rapid physical and social environment fluctuations. Although there is a historical dichotomy between field and captive studies, recently, a growing interest in questions that sit at the intersection of cognitive and adaptive perspectives has helped bridge this divide. By focusing on Theropithecus gelada, we discuss the three main reasons why this hybrid approach is extremely successful. First, captive and wild studies provide data at different social, spatial, and temporal scales that can be synthesized to give a fuller picture of the behavior. Secondly, apparently conflicting results from captive and wild settings are powerful tools to explore behavioral flexibility and latent behavioral tendencies. Third, the different settings provide ways of validating and exploring behaviors that are noticed in the other setting. Although we were able to bring together our captive and wild research to demonstrate these ideas, we could have obtained a more integrated vision on the proximate and ultimate gelada behavioral and cognitive strategies if we had considered this hybrid approach from the beginning. We hope that this manuscript stimulates scholars in designing their studies by taking into account the incredible potential of a complementary captive-wild research approach.

In silico comparative analysis of BRCA2 gene in some selected animal species in Africa

Background: BRCA2 genes are not only found in humans, but in other animal species. BRCA2 gene plays a vital role in maintaining the stability of a cell's genetic information. BRCA2 is considered as a gatekeeper gene; however, if mutated or abnormally expressed, it causes the destruction of normal cell structure and promotes the growth of cancer cells. Objective: This study aimed to assess the differences and similarities of BRCA2 gene from different animal species in Africa through In silico genomics analysis providing further insight on its comparative genomics features. Materials and Methods: Fifteen nucleotide sequences of BRCA2 gene of different mammals and bird species were retrieved from National Centre for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). Multiple sequence alignment was done with MEGA 7.0 software, while identity and similarities were determined by constructing a pairwise comparison. Conserved domains on the sequences were identified with NCB1-CDD. Results: BRCA2 gene was found to be present not only in humans, but other lower animals and birds across African countries. The phylogenetic tree for Homo sapiens BRCA2 gene in Tunisia belongs to the same ecological niche with the Theropithecus gelada BRCA2 gene in Ethiopia and BRCA2 from the same African region has high bootstrap, implying that they share the same homology. Conserved regions identified in the all the sequences were absent in Miniopterus natalensis and most present in Chrysochloris asiatica, Theropithecus gelada, Apaloderma vittatum, Pterocles gutturalis, Rousettus aegyptiacus, Homo sapiens, Echinops telfairi, and Cavia porcellus. Conclusion: Based on the findings obtained from this study, BRCA2 gene in humans and other lower animals, particularly from same region, share the same homology and similarities.

Wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada) in crops—more than in pasture areas—reduce aggression and affiliation

Human–primate interfaces are expanding and, despite recent studies on primates from peri-urban environments, little research exists on the impact of agriculture and/or pasture areas on primate social behavior and health. We assessed how crop/pasture areas potentially alter social behavior and health of wild geladas (Theropithecus gelada) frequenting the unprotected area of Kundi (Ethiopia). We predicted that compared to pasture areas, crop areas (i) would be more challenging for geladas (prediction 1) and (ii) would have a greater impact on both aggressive and affiliative behavior, by reducing grooming time and enhancing competition (prediction 2). During January–May 2019 and December 2019–February 2020, we collected data (via scan, focal animal sampling, and video analyses) on direct human disturbance, external signs of pathologies and social behavior of 140 individuals from 14 one-male units and two all-male units. Animals experienced the highest level of human disturbance in crop areas (in line with prediction 1). Individuals from the groups preferentially frequenting crop areas showed the highest prevalence of external signs of pathologies consistent with chemical and biological contamination (alopecia/abnormally swollen parts). We collected 48 fecal samples. Samples from frequent crop users contained the highest rates of parasitic elements/gram (egg/larva/oocyst/cyst) from Entamoeba histolytica/dispar, a parasite common in human settlements of the Amhara region. In crop areas, subjects spent less time grooming but engaged in lower rates of intense aggression (in partial agreement with prediction 2). We speculate that the reduction in social behavior may be a tactic adopted by geladas to minimize the likelihood of detection and maximize food intake while foraging in crops.