Desalegn Chala Gelete

• Aticho, Abebayehu; Beyene, Abebe; Zelelew, Shimelis Aynalem; Puok, Changkuoth; Morrison, Kerryn & Gutema, Tariku Mekonnen [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Uncovering extensive populations of the ‘threatened’ Black Crowned Cranes in Gambella, Ethiopia. Global Ecology and Conservation. ISSN 2351-9894. 51. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2024.e02897.
• Aticho, Abebayehu; Beyene, Abebe; Zelelew, Shimelis Aynalem; Puok, Changkuoth; Morrison, Kerryn & Gutema, Tariku Mekonnen [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2024). Uncovering extensive populations of the 'threatened' Black Crowned Cranes in Gambella, Ethiopia. Global Ecology and Conservation. ISSN 2351-9894. 51.
• Getachew, Mulualem; Wendy J., Collinson; Weldemariam, Tesfahunegny; Mengistu, Walle; Abeje, Kassie & Mebrahtom, Mesfin [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2023). Examining vertebrate road mortality on highways passing through protected areas of eastern Ethiopia. European Journal of Wildlife Research. ISSN 1612-4642. 69(6). doi: 10.1007/s10344-023-01750-7.
• Ahmed Seid, Ahmed; Chala, Desalegn ; Chala Adugna, Kufa; Anagaw, Atickem; Afework, Bekele & Jens-Christian, Svenning [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Potential changes in the extent of suitable habitats for geladas (Theropithecus gelada) in the Anthropocene. BMC Ecology and Evolution. 23(1). doi: 10.1186/s12862-023-02173-3.
• Aticho, Abebayehu; Beyene, Abebe; Zelelew, Shimelis Aynalem; Nigussie, Abebe; Gutema, Tariku Mekonnen & Bakkestuen, Vegar [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2023). Observed and projected changes in urbanization and nature conservation in a typical fast growing city of Ethiopia, Jimma. Biodiversity and Conservation. ISSN 0960-3115. 32, p. 4007–4028. doi: 10.1007/s10531-023-02680-1.
• Tafesse, Bedilu; Bekele, Tamrat; Demissew, Sebsebe; Dullo, Bikila Warkineh; Nemomissa, Sileshi & Chala, Desalegn (2023). Conservation implications of mapping the potential distribution of an Ethiopian endemic versatile medicinal plant, Echinops kebericho Mesfin. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 13(5). doi: 10.1002/ece3.10061.
• Vogel, Susanne Marieke; Vasudev, Divya; Ogutu, Joseph O.; Taek, Purity; Berti, Emilio & Goswami, Varun R. [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2023). Identifying sustainable coexistence potential by integrating willingness-to-coexist with habitat suitability assessments. Biological Conservation. ISSN 0006-3207. 279. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2023.109935.
• Gutema, Tariku Mekonnen; Atickem, Anagaw; Tsegaye, Diress; Chala, Desalegn; Bekele, Afework & Sillero-Zubiri, Claudio [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2022). Home range, habitat use, and activity patterns of African wolves (Canis lupaster) in the Ethiopian highlands. Global Ecology and Conservation. ISSN 2351-9894. 40. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2022.e02324. Full text in Research Archive
• Tesfamicael, Solomon Abedom; Chala, Desalegn ; Desta, Liyew A. & Ali, Sikunder (2022). Politics of meaning about quality of education in Ethiopia. African Journal of Teacher Education and Development (AJOTED). ISSN 2958-0986. 1(1). doi: 10.4102/ajoted.v1i1.3. Full text in Research Archive
• Gizaw, Abel ; Gorospe, Juan Manuel; Kandziora, Martha; Chala, Desalegn ; Gustafsson, A Lovisa S & Zergabachew, Abush Zinaw [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2021). Afro-alpine flagships revisited II: elucidating the evolutionary relationships and species boundaries in the giant senecios (Dendrosenecio, Asteraceae). Alpine Botany. ISSN 1664-2201. doi: 10.1007/s00035-021-00268-5. Full text in Research Archive
• Brochmann, Christian; Gizaw, Abel ; Chala, Desalegn ; Kandziora, Martha; Eilu, Gerald & Popp, Magnus [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2021). History and evolution of the afroalpine flora: in the footsteps of Olov Hedberg. Alpine Botany. ISSN 1664-2201. doi: 10.1007/s00035-021-00256-9. Full text in Research Archive
• Mairal, Mario; Chown, Steven L.; Shaw, Justine ; Chala, Desalegn ; Chau, John H. & Hui, Cang [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Human activity strongly influences genetic dynamics of the most widespread invasive plant in the sub-Antarctic. Molecular Ecology. ISSN 0962-1083. doi: 10.1111/mec.16045.
• Gebremedhin, Berihun; Chala, Desalegn ; Flagstad, Øystein; Bekele, Afework; Bakkestuen, Vegar & Van Moorter, Bram [Show all 10 contributors for this article] (2021). Quest for new space for restricted range mammals: the case of the endangered Walia ibex. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2296-701X. 9, p. 1–12. doi: 10.3389/fevo.2021.611632. Full text in Research Archive
• Zinner, Dietmar; Klapproth, Matthias; Schell, Andrea; Ohrndorf, Lisa; Chala, Desalegn & Ganzhorn, Jörg U. [Show all 7 contributors for this article] (2021). Comparative ecology of Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Primate Biology (PB). ISSN 2363-4707. doi: 10.5194/pb-8-19-2021.
• Mairal, Mario; Namaganda, Mary; Gizaw, Abel ; Chala, Desalegn ; Brochmann, Christian & Catalan, Pilar (2021). Multiple mountain-hopping colonization of sky-islands on the two sides of Tropical Africa during the Pleistocene: The afroalpine Festuca grasses. Journal of Biogeography. ISSN 0305-0270. doi: 10.1111/jbi.14117.
• Chala, Desalegn ; Roos, Christian; Svenning, Jens-Christian & Zinner, Dietmar (2019). Species-specific effects of climate change on the distribution of suitable baboon habitats - Ecological niche modeling of current and Last Glacial Maximum conditions. Journal of Human Evolution. ISSN 0047-2484. 132, p. 215–226. doi: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2019.05.003. Show summary

• Chala, Desalegn ; Zimmermann, Niklaus E.; Brochmann, Christian & Bakkestuen, Vegar (2017). Migration corridors for alpine plants among the `sky islands? of eastern Africa: do they, or did they exist? Alpine Botany. ISSN 1664-2201. Published ahead of print, p. 1–12. doi: 10.1007/s00035-017-0184-z. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  The tropical alpine ecosystem in eastern Africa is highly fragmented among biological ‘sky islands’, where populations of frost-tolerant organisms are isolated from each other by a ‘sea’ of tropical lowlands. One-third of the species in the afroalpine flora are exclusively alpine, but the other species can to varying degrees extend into grasslands and open forests of lower vegetation belts. A long-debated question is whether colonization of the alpine zone of these mountains and subsequent intermountain gene flow entirely depend on long-distance dispersal across unsuitable habitats, or whether suitable habitats shifted far enough downslope under past colder climates to form bridges enabling gradual migration. Here we address this question using a classification tree model. We mapped the extent of the current alpine habitat and projected it to the last glacial maximum (LGM) climate to assess whether gradual migration was possible for exclusively alpine taxa during this glacial period, and thus potentially also during earlier Pleistocene glaciations. Next, we modelled landcover under current and LGM climates to assess whether grassland and open forests could have served as migration corridors for alpine taxa that today extend into lower vegetation belts. We estimated that the LGM treeline was about 1000 m lower and the alpine habitat was about eight times larger than that today. At the LGM, we found that most of the currently fragmented alpine habitat of the Ethiopian highlands was interconnected except across the Great Rift Valley, whereas the solitary mountains of East/Central Africa remained isolated for exclusively alpine species. However, for drought-tolerant alpine species that today extend below the treeline, gradual migration through habitat corridors may have been possible among mountains during the dry glacial periods, and possibly also under the current climate before agriculture transformed the low-lying landscapes. Afroalpine · CART · Gene flow · Habitat connectivity · Last glacial maximum · Treeline

• Gelete, Desalegn Chala; Brochmann, Christian; Psomas, Achilleas; Ehrich, Dorothee; Gizaw, Abel & Masao, Catherine [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2016). Good-bye to tropical alpine plant giants under warmer climates? Loss of range and genetic diversity in Lobelia rhynchopetalum. Ecology and Evolution. ISSN 2045-7758. 6(24), p. 8931–8941. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2603. Full text in Research Archive
• Mewicha, Berihun Gebremedhin; Flagstad, Øystein; Bekele, Afework; Gelete, Desalegn Chala; Bakkestuen, Vegar & Boessenkool, Sanne [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2016). DNA metabarcoding reveals diet overlap between the endangered walia ibex and domestic goats - Implications for conservation. PLOS ONE. ISSN 1932-6203. 11(7), p. 1–18. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0159133. Full text in Research Archive Show summary

  Human population expansion and associated degradation of the habitat of many wildlife species cause loss of biodiversity and species extinctions. The small Simen Mountains National Park in Ethiopia is one of the last strongholds for the preservation of a number of afro-alpine mammals, plants and birds, and it is home to the rare endemic Walia ibex, Capra walie. The narrow distribution range of this species as well as potential competition for resources with livestock, especially with domestic goat, Capra hircus, may compromise its future survival. Based on a curated afro-alpine taxonomic reference library constructed for plant taxon identification, we investigated the diet of the Walia ibex and addressed the dietary overlap with domestic goat using DNA metabarcoding of faecal samples. Faeces of both species were collected from different localities in the National Park. We show that both species are browsers, with forbs, shrubs and trees comprising the largest proportion of their diet, supplemented by grasses. There was a considerable overlap in dietary preferences. Several of the preferred diet items of the Walia ibex (Alchemilla sp., Hypericum revolutum, Erica arborea and Rumex sp.) were also among the most preferred diet items of the domestic goat. These results indicate that there is potential for competition between the two species, especially during the dry season, when resources are limited. Our findings, in combination with the expected increase in domestic herbivores, suggest that management plans should consider the potential threat posed by domestic goats to ensure future survival of the endangered Walia ibex.

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• Chala, Desalegn ; Kusch, Erik; Andrew, Carrie; Torma, Michal; Johaadien, Rukaya Sarah & Kehel, Zakaria [Show all 9 contributors for this article] (2024). BioDT Hackathon: Second End-Users Workshop, January 2024. Show summary

  Three-day hackathon titled Harnessing Digital Twinning for Sustainable Agriculture: Predictive Characterisation and Conservation of Crop Wild Relatives, takes place from January 23rd to 25th, 2024 in Oslo, Norway. The event, promises to unravel the immense potential of digital twinning in revolutionizing global agricultural practices.

• Chala, Desalegn (2023). Crop wild relatives Digital Twin: where data flow meets computation to revolutionize agricultural research. Show summary

  While the human population is rapidly increasing and expected to reach 11 billion by the end of this century, global agricultural production is challenged due to climate change. To meet the UN Sustainable Development Goal targets and to bring about zero hunger, we need to boost our food production. For this, we need crops with higher yields, nutritional values, and the ability to resist diseases and adapt to changing environments. Untapped genetic resources to meet these goals are often harbored in crop wild relatives. Digital twinning represents a promising technology for the model-based identification and use of these resources by facilitating: 1) data flow and fusion from distributed data sources), 2) dynamic model updating, 3) automated model uncertainty analysis (validation against real-life data), and 4) provision of automated alerts for new genetic resources with predicted target genetic properties for plant breeders, conservation scientists and policymakers. Here, we showcase the importance of data flow to develop a digital twin that facilitates improving the nutritional quality of grasspea but can be transferable across traits and crops. Grasspea is a climate-smart crop that requires only residual moisture to complete its life cycle and is considered a lifesaver during severe droughts in tropical and subtropical regions. While it is protein-rich and could potentially help in beating protein malnutrition in the future, it also contains a neurotoxin that can cause paralysis of the lower limbs in adults and brain damage in children, if consumed over longer periods. Specific goals of our work include modelling geographic areas that present populations of grasspea wild relatives and land races with potential alleles to lower the toxicity content of grasspea to a non-harmful level.

• Chala, Desalegn (2023). Utilizing digital twins for crop wild relatives: advancing food security and conservation efforts.
• Chala, Desalegn (2023). Crop wild relatives Digital Twin: where data flow meets computation to revolutionize agricultural research.
• Chala, Desalegn (2022). RESTORATION INITIATIVES UNDER GLOBAL CHANGE IN THE AFRICAN CONTINENT: STATE OF THE ART, CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS.
• Giuffrida, Rita; Dmitry, Schigel; Endresen, Dag; Taubert, Franziska; Ovaskainen, Otso & Chala, Desalegn [Show all 15 contributors for this article] (2022). The BioDT use cases: unique demonstrators to test the biodiversity Digital Twin prototype. Show summary

  The BioDT project aims to develop the biodiversity digital twin prototype to help better predict global biodiversity dynamics and how species interact with their environment and with each other. In order to test the work developed by the BioDT team in the three years of the project, groups of use cases will showcase how BioDT can examine its predictive performance and address biodiversity challenges through scenario simulations, predictions and biomonitoring methods. In order to speed up with the development of the BioDT use cases, the project team has met from 5 to 7 September 2022 in Potsdam, Germany, for an internal technical workshop. The aim of the event was to: * Consolidate the use cases leads and project teams; * Develop the scientific questions for each use case; * Start developing requirements for each use case; * Identify data types and sources to be used; * Prioritise UCs and exact scenarios to be addressed by initial development work; * Define the process of data flow from Research Infrastructures (RIs) to modellers; * Define data format and quality requirements between 1) RIs and 2) RIs and modellers. The workshop was organised by UFZ and welcomed 17 participants from BioDT partners. Following this workshop, and in order to present the use cases developments also to external partners, a free BioDT webinar was organised on 27 September 2022. The event showcased through presentations, interactive sessions with the audience and a Questions & Answers session the main achievements of the use cases and the next steps. During the 1-hour webinar, it was possible for attendees to learn more about the scope, challenges, solutions and benefits brought by the BioDT use cases and how their development can help scientists in predicting future trends in biodiversity. The webinar was organised by Trust-IT in cooperation with the use cases leaders.

• Chala, Desalegn & Brochmann, Christian (2022). Tropical ‘alpine’ habitats: improper use of the term alpine?
• Brochmann, Christian; Seid, Abel Gizaw; Gelete, Desalegn Chala; Martha, Kandziora; Eilu, Gerald & Popp, Magnus [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2022). History and evolution of the afroalpine flora: in the footsteps of Olov Hedberg.
• Birkeland, Siri; Gustafsson, A Lovisa S; Gizaw, Abel ; Chala, Desalegn ; Fraccasetti, Marco & Brazier, Thomas [Show all 13 contributors for this article] (2022). What drives the rapid buildup of sterility barriers in the Arctic crucifer Draba nivalis?
• Chala, Desalegn (2021). Historical habitat connectivity, niche dynamics and evolution in a highly fragmented natural system, the African alpine ‘sky islands’.
• Gizaw, Abel ; Gorospe, Juan Manuel; Kandziora, Martha; Chala, Desalegn ; Gustafsson, A Lovisa S & Zinaw, Abush [Show all 11 contributors for this article] (2021). Is lack of phylogenetic resolution the hallmark of alpine radiation? Insights from the afro-alpine giants in Dendrosenecio (Senecioneae, Asteraceae).
• Chala, Desalegn (2020). Historical climate change impacts on the African 'Sky Island' ecosystems and the enigmatic plants comprised in them.
• Mairal, Mario; Namaganda, Mary; Gizaw, Abel ; Chala, Desalegn ; Brochmann, Christian & Catalan, Pilar (2020). Multiple mountain-hopping colonization of sky-islands on the two sides of Tropical Africa during the Pleistocene: the afroalpine Festuca grasses.
• Chala, Desalegn & Brochmann, Christian (2019). Tropical ‘alpine’ habitats: improper use of the term alpine?
• Flood, Pádraic J; Goktay, Mehmet; Tergemina, Emmanuel; Gywenne-Evans, David; Gustafsson, A Lovisa S & Telia, Habte [Show all 17 contributors for this article] (2019). The genetic basis of convergent adaptation to altitude in Arabidopsis thaliana .
• Aarrestad, Per Arild; Bakkestuen, Vegar; Töpper, Joachim Paul; Chala, Desalegn ; Often, Anders & Olsen, Siri Lie [Show all 8 contributors for this article] (2017). Vegetasjonsundersøkelser av boreal bjørkeskog i Lund og Åmotsdalen. In Framstad, Erik (Eds.), Terrestrisk naturovervåking i 2016: Markvegetasjon, epifytter, smågnagere og fugl. Sammenfatning av resultater . Norsk institutt for naturforskning (NINA). ISSN 978-82-426-3101-5. p. 22–35. Show summary

  Overvåkingen i TOV omfatter viktige biologiske komponenter i vanlige boreale og lavalpine øko-systemer. Det er forventet at overvåkingsvariablene vil respondere på ulike naturlige og men-neskeskapte endringer. Her gis en kvalitativ vurdering av hovedmønstre i mulige påvirkninger. Klimaendringer Langtransporterte forurensinger Andre påvirkningsfaktorer: endringer i bruken av utmarksarealene. Naturlige variasjoner i nordlige øko-systemer som er utsatt for betydelige fysiske og biologiske endringer fra år til år. Terrestrisk miljø – overvåking – klimavariasjon – forurensinger – naturlig dynamikk – markvegetasjon – epifytter – smågnagere – fugl – reproduksjon – bestandsvariasjoner – artssammensetning – Norge - Terrestrial environment – monitoring – climate variation – pollution – natural dynamics –ground vegetation – epiphytes – small mam-mals – birds – reproduction – population variation – species com-position – Norway

• Gizaw, Abel ; Brochmann, Christian; Chala, Desalegn ; Popp, Magnus; Zimmermann, Niklaus E. & Ehrich, Dorothee [Show all 12 contributors for this article] (2017). Connectivity in the extremely fragmented African ‘Sky Island’ flora: historical migration corridors or long-distance dispersal?

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