Defense Date

10-30-2023

Graduation Date

Spring 5-10-2024

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

dissertation

Degree Name

PhD

Department

Biological Sciences

School

School of Science and Engineering

Committee Chair

Jan E. Janecka

Committee Member

Brady A. Porter

Committee Member

Michael I. Jensen-Seaman

Committee Member

Pamela A. Burger

Keywords

dromedary, genetics, genomics, sequencing, Oman, Veterinary, mitogenome, population genetics, whole genome

Abstract

The Dromedarian camel, Camelus dromedarius, is native to the Arabian Peninsula, including the Sultanate of Oman. These camels are used for food, milk, as well as show and racing competitions. Despite their economic and cultural importance research on camels in Oman is limited. The goal of this study was to examine their genomic variation, relationship with camels in other parts of the Arabian Peninsula, and to determine if selective breeding has led to the establishment of distinct breeds in Oman. Information was compiled from multiple sources to produce a comprehensive review on the breeding, management, economic and cultural use, veterinary medicine, and the characteristics of three main Omani camels (Omaniyyah, Batiniyyah, and Dhofariyyah). The genetic relationship between the Omani camels and those from other parts of the Arabian Peninsula was examined via double digest restriction-site associated DNA Sequencing (ddRadSeq) on an Illumina MiSeq. A total of 20 camels (10 from Oman and 10 from Arabia) were sequenced. There was a total of 12,558 private alleles in the Omani population and 23,601 private alleles in the Arabian Peninsula population indicating substantial divergence. Phylogenetic analysis showed Omani camels clustered together supporting their genetic separation from other camels in Arabia. To evaluate if selective breeding has led to the establishment of different breeds in Oman 20 race and 20 show camels were sequenced via ddRadSeq. The two Omani groups had low genetic divergence and were intermixed in phylogenetic and structure analyses thus indicating that management practices have not yet led to the establishment of genetically distinct breeds in Oman. A draft Omani camel sequence was generated with an average of 12.5X coverage. This study highlights the unique history and genetic divergence of Omani camels and provides resources and information for developing management practices that maintain the unique genetic diversity of camels in the Sultanate of Oman.

Language

English

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