Skip to content

Conservation

Diversity of camels conserved for 3000 years.

by Dave Armstrong 10 May 2016
Diversity of camels conserved for 3000 years.

The Silk Road or the Incense Routes were maintained not by humans alone, but by the well adapted camel. But dromedary origins were lost in the mists of the desert, though not any more! Camel train image; Credit: © Dr Abddul Raziq Kakar

Faisal Almathen of the King Faisal University, KSA, and the University of Nottingham, Pamela A Burger of Vienna’s Institute of Wildlife Ecology and renowned colleagues from many continents have revealed a deep genetic insight into the origins of the actual ship of the Arabian (and Asian and African) desert, a transport system known as the dromedary.

Camels (Camelus dromedarius) are a food, milk and racing interest to modern people, but in the past, they would have been wild neighbours in a corner of Arabia. Wild ass at present occupy a similar niche in the same piece of desert. Like wild horses in northern Asia and several other species, the camel has supplemented its gene pool by interbreeding with domesticated examples of their own species. The involving story here is that camel trains across the vast wastes have helped the species to retain a greater gene pool, because the individuals bred at both ends of each trade route. It is recorded in medieval times that thousands of dromedaries were used in, for example, the Asian Silk Road and the Arabian Incense Route

1083 living camels displayed very little variation, showing just how successful the gene flow has been. Ancient remains with mtDNA however have been successfully reconstituted and confirm a high original diversity too. This contrasts with the likelihood that the wild dromedary was already becoming extinct even before it was domesticated. The hypothesis is that restocking from the wild has been practiced several times in the distant past, except in a more isolated region in East Africa. With the original wild population (surviving possibly in ancient mangrove habitats within SE Arabia) now extinct, the conservation of such a healthy gene pool for 3,000 years is not only rare but relevant to many conservation issues such as the wildlife corridor demands that are often proposed but less often!

The paper in PNAS was published yesterday with full access here. The many authors have ensured that the remarkable story over its long and celebrated history stands out like a scientific beacon. Without the camel, Arabian trade, medieval conquests and recent communication routes would all have collapsed, changing the course of events for human civilisations as well as that incredible diversity among the camel gene pools of Asia, Africa, and even Australia.


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping