First evaluation of the population structure, genetic diversity and landscape connectivity of the Endangered Arabian tahr.

The Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) occurs only in the mountains of northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates. The species is classified as Endangered due to its small declining population. In this study, we combined genetic and landscape ecology techniques in order to inform landscape scale conservation and genetic management of Arabian tahr. Using 540 base pairs of mitochondrial control region in a dataset of 53 samples, we found eight haplotypes, which fell into two haplogroups. Population genetic analysis using a panel of 14 microsatellite loci also showed a weak, but significant division. Analyses of landscape connectivity supported the genetic results showing poor connectivity between populations in the far south of the study area and those in the north. The most likely location of corridors connecting Arabian tahr populations were identified. Many corridors between tahr populations are impeded by multi-lane highways and restoration of these connections is required to maintain population viability of Arabian tahr. Owing to limited genetic samples outside of Wadi Sareen, further sampling is needed to elucidate both mtDNA and the nuclear structure of Arabian tahr more fully. Our study provides a toolkit that may be used for future genetic and connectivity monitoring of the Arabian tahr population.

Complete mitochondrial genome of endangered Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) and phylogenetic placement.

The Arabian tahr (Arabitragus jayakari) endemic to mountains of northern Oman and the United Arab Emirates, however, the species is faced with significant threats to its population. Because of its small and dwindling population, it is listed as Endangered. Here, we sequenced and assembled the mitochondrial (mt) genome of A. jayakari into 16,485 bp with 39.6% GC content. It also contains 13 protein-coding genes, 22 tRNA genes, and two rRNA genes. Phylogenetic analysis of A. jayakari with related 12 species mt genomes showed that A. jayakari forms a monophyletic clade with Hemitragus jayakri. In the current context of a changing environment, evolutionary analysis based on mitochondrial genome will aid in identifying evolutionary changes among different species and analyzing shared gene pools to counteract threats.