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Keep calm and camel on

The longest, hottest day of the year in the UAE typically falls between June 20 and 22. We’ve survived these days thus far, but on the final day of this spread, spend some time celebrating, not only because you made it this far through the summer, but because June 22 is World Camel Day.

Why celebrate this animal?

Raziq Kakar, founder of World Camel Day, tells KUST Review, the camel is vital to desert ecosystems and those who live within them.

CAPTION:  Kakar gets camel nuzzles at a farm in Masakin IMAGE: Raziq Kakar

Since ancient times, the camel has wandered the Middle Eastern deserts. Widely known as the “ships of the desert,” camels serve as transporters of goods, a source of livelihood and a companion to the Bedouin people.

“There’s something deeply special about the bond between humans and animals — a language beyond words, built on respect and gentle care,” says Kakar, who holds a doctorate in animal science.

He says camels are among the only animals on the planet that might benefit from global warming.

The camel is a pillar of resilience. It can sustain long, arduous travel through extreme temperatures.

Contrary to popular belief, the camel’s hump does not store water, but it contains fat that provides the camel with energy and fends off thirst for long periods of time.

How camels ingest and utilize water is another process entirely.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, these creatures can consume up to 40 gallons of water in one go and can go weeks without. But if it’s not stored in the hump, where is it?

It’s not stored at all. Camels can withstand severe dehydration, losing up to 30 percent of their body weight in water. So when they down 40 gallons in a single sitting, it’s to rehydrate.

This is only one of many biological traits they are revered for.

The camels also disperse seeds during treks and through their droppings, enhancing plant life and food security.

CAPTION: Freshly produced camel milk at Al Dhafra camel festival IMAGE:Shutterstock

They’re also a vital biological inspiration to the scientific community, and don’t get us started on the umpteen perks of camel milk consumption.

On World Camel Day, you can join in the camel festivities by visiting the Camelicious Farm in Dubai, which will be open June 22 to the public. Check out Al Ain Farms’ social media channels for more information. You can also learn more about camels on the ADAFSA and find many informative articles on Kakar’s website, ARKBIODIV.

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Camels switch off their kidneys
to survive dehydration threats

To better understand how the Arabian camel manages to preserve water, a team from University of Bristol, United Arab Emirates University and Khalifa University examined the genes in the kidneys of Arabian camels exposed to chronic dehydration to determine how the animals can survive long periods of time in harsh conditions without access to water and what humanity could possibly learn from this.

The results were published in Communications Biology.

“Extensive evidence shows the impressive set of adaptations that allows a camel to thrive in desert environments, despite sometimes needing to survive for weeks without access to water,” says team lead Abdu Adem, Ph.D., a professor of pharmacology at Khalifa University. “Behavioral and physiological adaptations ensure that water is never wasted. Camels will only eat the leaves of plants, they avoid exposure to direct sunlight where possible, restrict reproduction to the cooler winter season, and drink very large amounts of water when available to compensate for any fluid deficiency from their desert wandering.”

Camels have been known to drink 30 gallons of water in just 13 minutes, but even here they have an evolutionary adaptation to avoid osmotic shock, or a sudden change in the solute concentration around a cell: They absorb the water very slowly.

The kidney that plays the largest role in conserving water for a camel, and it is from the camel kidney that humans can take inspiration. IMAGE: Unsplash

An intricate nasal passage prevents too much water loss when the camel breathes out, but more importantly, water evaporates from the surface of the nostrils to moisturize dry air when the camel breathes in, helping to cool the blood in the veins of the nose.

Thanks to thin blood-vessel walls, this cooler venous blood can help cool the blood in the arteries leading to the brain, meaning the camel’s brain is considerably lower in temperature than the body core.

Even the red blood cells themselves have a special shape shown to be advantageous in withstanding dehydration.

On top of all this, camels rarely sweat, even in the searing temperatures of the desert, all helping to conserve water.

Our analysis suggests that genes with known roles in water conservation are affected by changes in cholesterol levels. Suppressing the production of cholesterol may help the kidney retain water.

– Abdu Adem, Khalifa University professor of pharmacology

Yet, despite all these advantages, it is the kidney that plays the largest role in conserving water for a camel, and it is from the camel kidney that humans can take inspiration.

“In the current context of climate change, there is renewed interest in the mechanisms that enable camels and camelids to survive in arid conditions,” Adem says. “We investigated the camel kidney to see how gene expression has been influenced by chronic dehydration and rapid rehydration. Our analysis suggests that genes with known roles in water conservation are affected by changes in cholesterol levels. Suppressing the production of cholesterol may help the kidney retain water.”

Yet, despite all these advantages, it is the kidney that plays the largest role in conserving water for a camel, and it is from the camel kidney that humans can take inspiration.

“In the current context of climate change, there is renewed interest in the mechanisms that enable camels and camelids to survive in arid conditions,” Adem says. “We investigated the camel kidney to see how gene expression has been influenced by chronic dehydration and rapid rehydration. Our analysis suggests that genes with known roles in water conservation are affected by changes in cholesterol levels. Suppressing the production of cholesterol may help the kidney retain water.”

Camels produce highly concentrated urine, preserving as much water as possible. To produce such urine, the kidney must possess certain anatomical features.

Previous research has shown that the kidney of a young camel differs in structure from that of an adult, suggesting that the differences may be related to a greater degree of water deprivation experienced by adult animals. This would suggest that chronic dehydration causes genes in the adult camel kidney to be expressed differently, allowing the kidney to better preserve water.

The research team noted that the amount of cholesterol in the kidney has a role in the water-conservation process. In dehydrated camel kidneys, there was less cholesterol in the kidney membranes, and the genes that control the production of cholesterol were suppressed.

“We found remarkable changes in the amounts of specific genes and proteins in the kidney of the one-humped Arabian camel during severe dehydration and subsequent acute rehydration,” Adem says. “Our data suggests that the suppression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis and the subsequent reduction in membrane cholesterol are a global response in the kidney to dehydration.”

We found remarkable changes in the amounts of specific genes and proteins in the kidney of the one-humped Arabian camel during severe dehydration and subsequent acute rehydration.

– Abdu Adem

Several ion channels and transporters are regulated by changes in the level of cholesterol in the cell. Dehydration and excessive heat cause electrolyte imbalances in the body, and the kidneys are one factor in keeping electrolyte levels balanced.

If there is an increase of cholesterol in the membrane of the kidney, movement through the ion channels is blocked. When cholesterol levels are lowered, water and electrolytes can move across different parts of the kidney, which helps reabsorb water and produce a highly concentrated urine.

The researchers found that during the summer, the gene that regulates the production of a protein called aquaporin 2 is expressed more, presumably in preparation for the more challenging conditions of the season.

Aquaporin 2 forms a channel in cell membranes to allow water molecules to pass through. During periods of dehydration, aquaporin 2 channels are inserted into the membranes of kidney cells, which allows water to be reabsorbed into the bloodstream, making the urine more concentrated.

The researchers found that when cholesterol was depleted, aquaporin 2 levels increased.

When the camel rehydrates, the gene expression is suppressed, the channels close and the expression of cholesterol synthesis genes returns to normal levels.

While this new knowledge contributes to our understanding of the immense evolutionary advantages the Arabian camel uses to survive in the desert, it could more importantly help humanity better adapt to advancing desertification amid climate change. Understanding the mechanisms of water control in dehydration could allow us to apply the principles to water conservation across a wide variety of disciplines.