Related Links

NMNH Genetics Program
National Zoological Park Staff Profile

Education

Ph.D.(Organismic Biology, Ecology and Evolution): University of California Los Angeles, 2001
M.S.(Zoology): Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 1985
B.S.(Biology): Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania, 1983

Research Interests

Dr. Jesús E. Maldonado is a Research Geneticist at the Genetics Program at the Smithsonian Institution. His main interests are conservation genetics, molecular ecology and evolutionary biology of rare and endangered mammals. He has been a research geneticist at the Smithsonian since 1998. He has studied kit foxes since 1996. He used mitochondrial DNA sequence data to compare the phylogenetic relationships of the endangered Mexican kit fox with North American arid land foxes. He has participated in several other projects focusing on the genetics of rare or endangered species, including a study of the population structure of the South American Marsh deer.

Recent Publications

Cardoni, Daniel A., Greenberg, Russell, Maldonado, Jesus E. and Isacch, Juan P. 2013. Morphological adaptation to coastal marshes in spite of limited genetic structure in the Neotropical passerine Spartonoica maluroides (Aves: Furnariidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 109(1): 78-91. doi:10.1111/bij.12019

Sharma, Sandeep, Dutta, Trishna, Maldonado, Jesús E., Wood, Thomas C., Panwar, Hemendra Singh and Seidensticker, John 2013. Spatial genetic analysis reveals high connectivity of tiger (Panthera tigris) populations in the Satpura–Maikal landscape of Central India. Ecology and Evolution, 3(1): 48-60. doi:10.1002/ece3.432

Sharma, Sandeep, Dutta, Trishna, Maldonado, Jesús E., Wood, Thomas C., Panwar, Hemendra Singh and Seidensticker, John 2013. A highly informative microsatellite panel for individual identification and sex determination of jungle cats (Felis chaus). Conservation Genetics Resources, doi:10.1007/s12686-013-9873-0

Woc-Colburn, Ana, Murray, Suzan, Lock, Justin, Dragoo, Jerry W., Guglielmo, Dell and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2013. A Minimally Invasive Method for Gender Determination in the Prehensile-Tailed Porcupine (Coendou prehensilis). Zoo Biology, doi:10.1002/zoo.21063

Matocq, Marjorie D., Kelly, Patrick A., Phillips, Scott E. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2012. Reconstructing the evolutionary history of an endangered subspecies across the changing landscape of the Great Central Valley of California. Molecular ecology, 21(24): 5918-5933. doi:10.1111/mec.12079

Rick, Torben C., Hofman, Courtney A., Braje, Todd J., Maldonado, Jesús E., Sillett, T. S., Danchisko, Kevin and Erlandson, Jon M. 2012. Flightless ducks, giant mice and pygmy mammoths: Late Quaternary extinctions on California's Channel Islands. World Archaeology, 44(1): 3-20. doi:10.1080/00438243.2012.646101

Ortega, Jorge, Navarrete, Daya and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2012. Non-invasive sampling of endangered neotropical river otters reveals high levels of dispersion in the Lacantun River System of Chiapas, Mexico. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation, 35(1): 59-69.

Moncrief, Nancy D., Lack, Justin B., Maldonado, Jesús E., Bryant, Katherine L., Edwards, Cody W. and Van Den Bussche, Ronald A. 2012. General lack of phylogeographic structure in two sympatric, forest obligate squirrels (Sciurus niger and S. carolinensis). Journal of mammalogy, 93(5): 1247-1264. doi:10.1644/11-MAMM-A-383.1

Ahlering, Marissa A., Maldonado, Jesús E., Fleischer, Robert C., Western, David and Eggert, L. S. 2012. Fine-scale group structure and demography of African savanna elephants recolonizing lands outside protected areas. Diversity and Distributions: A Journal of Conservation Biogeography, 18(10): 952-961. doi:10.1111/j.1472-4642.2012.00896.x

Ahlering, Marissa A., Eggert, Lori S., Western, David, Estes, Anna, Munishi, Linus, Fleischer, Robert C., Roberts, Melissa and Maldonado, Jesus E. 2012. Identifying Source Populations and Genetic Structure for Savannah Elephants in Human-Dominated Landscapes and Protected Areas in the Kenya-Tanzania Borderlands. PLoS ONE, 7(12): 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0052288

Dutta, Trishna, Sharma, Sandeep, Maldonado, Jesús E., Wood, Thomas C. and Seidensticker, John 2012. A reliable method for individual identification and gender determination of wild leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) using non-invasive samples. Conservation Genetics Resources, 4(3): 665-667. doi:10.1007/s12686-012-9618-5

Hirsch, Ben T., Stanton, Margaret A. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2012. Kinship Shapes Affiliative Social Networks but Not Aggression in Ring-Tailed Coatis. PLoS ONE, 7(5): 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037301

Becker, Penny A., Miller, Philip S., Gunther, Micaela Szykman, Somers, Michael J., Wildt, David E. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2012. Inbreeding Avoidance Influences the Viability of Reintroduced Populations of African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus). PLoS ONE, 7(5): 1-11. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037181

Hirsch, Ben T. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2011. Familiarity breeds progeny: sociality increases reproductive success in adult male ring-tailed coatis (Nasua nasua). Molecular Ecology, 20(2): 409-419.

Bozarth, Christine A., Hailer, Frank, Rockwood, Larry, Edwards, Cody and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2011. Coyote colonization of northern Virginia and admixture with Great Lakes Wolves. Journal of mammalogy, 92(5): 1070-1080.

González-Porter, Gracia P., Hailer, Frank, Flores-Villela, Oscar, García-Anleu, Rony and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2011. Patterns of genetic diversity in the critically endangered Central American river turtle: human influence since the Mayan age?. Conservation Genetics, 12(5): 1229-1242.

Bozarth, Christine A., Lance, Stacey L., Civitello, David J., Glenn, Julie L. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2011. Phylogeography of the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) in the Eastern United States. Journal of mammalogy, 92(2): 283-294.

Spiering, Penny A., Szykman, Micaela, Somers, Michael J., Wildt, David E., Walters, Michelle, Wilson, Amy S. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2011. Inbreeding, heterozygosity and fitness in a reintroduced population of endangered African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus). Conservation Genetics, 2011(12): 410-412. doi:10.1007/s10592-010-0147-z

Eggert, Lori S., Powell, David M., Ballou, Jonathan D., Malo, Aurelio F., Turner, Allison, Kumer, Jack, Zimmerman, Carl, Fleischer, Robert C. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2010. Pedigrees and the study of the wild horse population of Assateague Island National Seashore. Journal of Wildlife Management, 74(5): 963-973.

den Tex, Robert-Jan, Thorington, Richard W., Jr., Maldonado, Jesús E. and Leonard, Jennifer A. 2010. Speciation dynamics in the SE Asian tropics: Putting a time perspective on the phylogeny and biogeography of Sundaland tree squirrels, Sundasciurus. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 55(2010): 711-720.

den Tex, Robert-Jan, Maldonado, Jesús E., Thorington, Richard W., Jr. and Leonard, Jennifer A. 2010. Nuclear copies of mitochondrial genes: another problem for ancient DNA. Genetica, 138(9): 979-984.

González, Susana, Barbanti Duarte, Jose M. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2010. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution. In: Barbanti Duarte, J. M. and González, Susana, Neotropical Cervidology. Biology and Medicine of Latin American Deer. Jaboticabal, Brazil: FUNEP/IUCN, pp.12-17.

Ralls, Katherine, Sharma, Sandeep, Smith, Deborah A., Bremner-Harrison, Samantha, Cypher, Brian L. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2010. Changes in Kit Fox Defecation Patterns During the Reproductive Season: Implications for Noninvasive Surveys. Journal of Wildlife Management, 74(7): 1457-1462.

Bozarth, Christine A., Alva-Campbell, Yvette R., Ralls, Katherine, Henry, Tammy R., Smith, Deborah A., Westphal, Michael F. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2010. An efficient noninvasive method for discriminating among faeces of sympatric North American Canids. Conservation Genetics Resources, 2(1): 173-175.

Spiering, Penny A., Somers, Michael J., Maldonado, Jesús E., Wildt, David E. and Gunther, Micaela Szykman 2010. Reproductive sharing and proximate factors mediating cooperative breeding in the African wild dog (Lycaon pictus). Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64(4): 583-592.

Archie, Elizabeth A., Henry, Tammy, Maldonado, Jesús E., Moss, Cynthia J., Poole, Joyce H., Pearson, Virginia R., Murray, Suzan, Alberts, Susan C. and Fleischer, Robert C. 2010. Major histocompatibility complex variation and evolution at a single, expressed DQA locus in two genera of elephants. Immunogenetics, 62(2): 85-100. doi:10.1007/s00251-009-0413-8

Helgen, Kristofer M., Kays, Roland W., Helgen, Lauren E., Tsuchiya-Jerep, Mirian T. N., Pinto, C. Miguel, Koepfli, Klaus-Peter, Eizirik, Eduardo and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2009. Taxonomic boundaries and geographic distributions revealed by an integrative systematic overview of the mountain coatis, Nasuella (Carnivora: Procyonidae). Small Carnivore Conservation, 41(1): 65-74.

González, Susana, Maldonado, Jesús E., Ortega, J., Talarico, A., Bidegaray, L., Garcia, J. E. and Barbanti-Durate, J. M. 2009. Identification of the endangered small red brocket deer (Mazama bororo) using noninvasive genetic techniques (Mammalia; Cervidae). Molecular Ecology Resources, 9: 754-758.

Llambías, Paulo E., Ferretti, Valentina, Cardoni, Daniel A. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2009. Breeding Success and Social Mating System of the Bay-capped Wren-Spinetail (Spartonoica maluroides). The Wilson Journal of Ornithology, 121(4): 803-807.

Spiering, Penny A., Gunther, Micaela Szykman, Wildt, David E., Somers, Michael J. and Maldonado, Jesús E. 2009. Sampling error in non-invasive genetic analyses of an endangered social carnivore. Conservation Genetics, 10: 2005-2007.

Cardoni, D. A., Maldonado, Jesús E., Isacch, J. P. and Greenberg, Russell S. 2009. Subtle Sexual Dimorphism in the Bay-Capped Wren-Spinetail (Furnariidae) Uncovered through Molecular Sex Determination. Ornitologia Neotropical, 20: 347-355.

Complete List of Maldonado's Publications and Downloadable PDFs