Evidence of subpopulation diversification and traces of introgression within Canarian camel breed zoometric standard: scope and opportunities for selection

Abstract

Extant diversity for phenotypic traits is an essential criterion to be considered when ordering priorities for conservation and improvement of animal genetic resources. Concretely, the characterisation of the distinctive body morphometry of a particular group of animals can aid in the design of selective breeding programs, given the strong correlation between body morphology and productive function. The present research aims to characterise an endangered autochthonous camel breed (Canarian camel), mainly relegated to leisure riding, for its body morphology, with a double objective: to explore the phenotypic diversity and structure of the breed for zoometric traits and assess the zoometric profile of this genetic resource that supports its differentiation from other camel breeds. Overall, the results highlight the existence of a high degree of diversity, which may be linked to genetic factors for zoometric traits in an endangered autochthonous breed with traditional in situ breeding schemes, which predicts the success of the implementation of genetic improvement schemes for such functional characteristics. This phenotypic diversity in body morphology could also be a tool for the evaluation of new functional niches within the efforts of functional valorisation of this camel breed for its sustainable conservation. Body morphology traits in the studied camel breed are significantly influenced by sex, physiological status and coat colour.

Keywords:

• Body morphology
• sexual dimorphism
• epistasis
• phenotypic diversity
• selective breeding

Acknowledgements

The authors would also like to thank ‘Aires Africanos’ Eco-tourism Company, Oasis Park Fuerteventura and ‘Camelus’ Camellos de Almería, for their direct technical help and assistance.

Author contributions

Conceptualisation, C.I.P., F.J.N.G. and J.V.D.B.; data curation, C.I.P. and F.J.N.G.; formal analysis, C.I.P., F.J.N.G. and J.V.D.B.; funding acquisition, E.C. and J.V.D.B.; investigation, C.I.P. and F.J.N.G.; methodology, C.I.P. and F.J.N.G.; project administration, E.C. and J.V.D.B.; resources, E.C. and J.V.D.B.; software, C.I.P. and F.J.N.G.; supervision, F.J.N.G., E.C. and J.V.D.B.; validation, F.J.N.G. and J.V.D.B.; visualisation, E.C.; writing–original draft, C.I.P. and F.J.N.G.; writing–review and editing, F.J.N.G., E.C. and J.V.D.B. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

Ethics statement

All the farms included in this study adhered to specific codes of good practices, ensuring that the animals received humane care in accordance with the national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory and farm animals in research. Written consent from the owners of the animals was obtained for their participation in the study. The research was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki. The Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, through the Royal Decree Law 53/2013 and its accredited entity, the Ethics Committee of Animal Experimentation from the University of Córdoba, granted permission for the application of the protocols used in this study. These protocols were cited in the 5th section of the 2nd article of the Decree, as the animals assessed were utilised for accredited zootechnical purposes. This national Decree follows the European Union Directive 2010/63/UE, dated 22 September 2010.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

Data will be made available from corresponding authors upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The present research was carried out in the financing framework of the international project CA.RA.VA.N–‘Toward a Camel Transnational Value Chain’ (Reference APCIN-2016-00011-00-00) and during the covering period of a predoctoral contract (FPU Fellowship) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation. This work is also supported by Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte; ARIMNET2; European Union.