Studies of adaptation to a 100% plant-based diet
Researcher Erik Axelsson and his colleagues at Uppsala University in Sweden discovered that dogs have between four and thirty copies of the AMY2B gene, which allows them to digest starchy (plant-based) foods. Duplication of this gene in dogs dates back at least 5,000 to 7,000 years, according to paleontological data. These findings indicate that dogs adapted to relatively starchy diets early in their domestication.
Axelsson 2013 – “The genomic signature of dog domestication reveals adaptation to a starch-rich diet”
Arendt 2014 – “Amylase activity is associated with AMY2B copy number in dogs: implications for dog domestication, diet, and diabetes.”
Ollivier 2016 – “AMY2B copy number variation reveals dietary starch adaptations in ancient European dogs”