Genetic diversity and population structure of Jabal Akhdar goats revealed by genome-wide single nucleotide...

Omani Jabal Akhdar goats are highly valued for their resilience, superior growth rate and twinning rate compared with other Omani goat breeds. Therefore, understanding their genetic diversity and population structure is essential for sustainable breeding efforts and conservation of the breed. This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of Jabal Akhdar goats with single nucleotide polymorphisms generated with the Illumina 50K Goat Chip. Multidimensional scaling analysis and Admixture analysis revealed that Jabal Akhdar goats possess a distinct genetic ancestry representing a mixture of the Asian and African goat lineages which highlights the historic maritime trading and interactions of the Omanis with both continents. The multidimensional scaling analysis and the Reynolds unweighted distances both indicated that Jabal Akhdar goats share a close genetic relationship with West Asian breeds such as Iranian Bezoar, the Australian Cashmere, and Turkish breeds such as the Kil goats, all of which are adapted to cold climates and high elevations. Notably, the breed exhibited a moderate genomic inbreeding level (FPlink = 0.219 and FROH = 0.047), comparable with other West Asian breeds, indicating adequate levels of genetic diversity. This study represents the first genome-wide characterization of the Jabal Akhdar goat breed. Despite its moderate inbreeding levels, attention should be focused on conservation efforts to safeguard the distinctive genetic diversity of Jabal Akhdar goats to prevent the erosion of its genetic diversity or admixture with exotic commercial breeds.