Generales

By Sergio Alejandro Ruiz Saldarriaga, Journalist at UdeA Communications Office

The cotton-top tamarin’s striking white plume and natural charm have placed it at risk. To support conservation efforts for this species across five Colombian departments, María Alejandra Jiménez Cadavid is leading a project focused on mapping its genetic traces. Her research outshone 95 other applicants and won her the Colombia Biodiversa 2024 Scholarship, awarded by the Alejandro Angel Escobar Foundation.

Native to Colombia, the cotton-top tamarin lives in the departments of Antioquia, Atlántico, Bolívar, Córdoba, and Sucre. Photo courtesy: Iván Darío Soto. 

“Genetics allows us to identify the unique traits of different populations, providing insights into how we can conserve a species,” said María Alejandra Jiménez, an undergraduate Biology student at UdeA and recipient of the 2024 Colombia Biodiversa Scholarship, awarded by the Alejandro Ángel Escobar Foundation.

Her project, Genetic and Health Evaluation of Remnant Populations of Cotton-top Tamarins, was chosen as one of five winners among 95 proposals submitted by undergraduate and graduate students nationwide. The scholarship offers a year of financial support to advance her research.

At 25 years old, Jiménez Cadavid has focused her efforts on species conservation. Currently, in her ninth semester of the biology program, she is a member of the Animal Genetics Laboratory, which is part of the Agro-sciences, Biodiversity, and Territory Research Group (Gamma) within the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences and the Institute of Biology at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences.

Her research focuses on the white-headed titi monkey (Oedipomidas oedipus), a primate species endemic to the Colombian Caribbean. Recognized for their striking white head tuft, these monkeys are particularly charismatic to humans. Found in five departments in northern Colombia, the species has been used in biomedical research for decades due to its primate status. However, wildlife trafficking and extensive deforestation in the Caribbean have led to a significant decline in their populations.

It also poses a significant challenge for Antioquia and other institutions working to conserve the marmoset and other native species in regions like Urabá, where infrastructure projects have caused substantial changes to native habitats.

“The project aims to identify natural populations and trace the origin of trafficked individuals. This will allow us to gather precise data for more effective release strategies and identify areas where species trafficking is most concentrated,” said Jiménez.

The study also aims to establish reference ranges for the species’ chemical and blood parameters, as no existing research differentiates between wild populations and marmosets rescued from trafficking. Moreover, the collected data will provide a valuable tool for environmental agencies, enhancing the success of releasing white-headed tamarins rescued from trafficking or captivity.

The research proposal also receives support from the Proyecto Tití Foundation, the Metropolitan Area of the Aburrá Valley, CES University, the Colombian Association of Zoos and Aquariums (Acopazoa), the University of Copenhagen, and the Copenhagen Zoo.

“This research gives us genetic fingerprints that allow us to trace the origin of these marmosets, ensuring that they are released back into their native habitat. The idea is to return them to the same area they came from for ethical, biological, and legal reasons,” said Iván Darío Soto Calderón, professor at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences and coordinator of the Animal Genetics Laboratory.

At first, the research aimed to analyze 100 individuals, but the sampling process has already surpassed this goal. Through extensive collaboration among various institutions, researchers have gathered data on the species present in the departments of Bolívar, Córdoba, Sucre, and the Urabá subregion of Antioquia. Researchers are focusing on expanding the analysis in the southern region to develop a more robust and representative database. It will enhance the reliability of the findings, providing more accurate insights into the species’ distribution and conservation status.

UdeA is notable for its high number of scholarship recipients

Alongside her research on the white-headed titi monkey, María Alejandra Jiménez is also a member of the Antioquia Primatology Research Group at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences. Photo courtesy.

Since 2005, the Colombia Biodiversa Scholarship, initiated by the Alejandro Ángel Escobar Foundation, has supported young researchers dedicated to conserving and sustainably using biodiversity.

Since its inception, 13 students from the Universidad de Antioquia have received recognition in fields like biology, engineering, economics, and microbiology. “This is the second time our laboratory has had the privilege of securing one of these scholarships. The first was with Alejandra María Moreno for her master’s thesis on howler monkeys, and this time it is with María Alejandra Jiménez,” noted Professor Soto.

Conserving the marmoset

Several ongoing projects at UdeA, including graduate and doctoral theses, focus on the marmoset, strengthening the university’s research efforts on this primate species alongside studies on the gray marmoset.

Colombia has increasingly developed genetic tools for conservation. Article 27 of the 2022-2026 National Development Plan outlines a strategy to combat illegal wildlife trafficking using genetic tracking.