Sean Munroe1/26/14Period 8Wolf to Dog Evolution

As a class, we defined the term evolution as a beneficial mutation over time to a species to better fit its environment. In the case of wolves and dogs, it is widely theorized that dogs evolved from wolves. A few ways that dogs are different from wolves are dogs willingness to interact with homosapiens, dogs ability to digest starch, and the genetic mutations causing a dog to be, ultimately, a wolf that never grew up.

Dogs are more willing to interact with humans in an everyday environment. This is one example of an evolutional change of wolves to dogs. Going back to our class definition of evolution, you might ask Well how does this benefit dogs? Quite simply really,the main goal of some dogs is to scavenge human food and survive off of this food. In order to scavenge this food dogs need to be able to interact with humans. If dogs did not have this trait, then most dogs would become extinct because they would have to find an alternative food source.

Also dogs are able to digest starch much easier than wolves are able to. After researchers were able to compare the DNA sequences of wolves and dogs, they were able to identify 36 genomic regions suggesting recent natural selection. Some of these genomic regions take part in three key steps of the digestion of starch. One reason for this difference can be credited to the difference in copies for the gene for amylase; wolves have to copies of the gene, dogs have four to thirty.

Also many of the genetic mutations mentioned before have to do with brain maturation. This supports the theory that dogs are really just wolves that never matured. Many of dogs traits are similar to those of young wolves traits, but as wolves grow up those traits are extinguished while adult dogs continue to express those traits. This phenomenon is called neoteny, and is a key feature for the domestication of dogs.

While sharing a similar environment with dogs, humans developed similar adaptations. For example, both humans and dogs learned to live on wheat, rice, barley, corn, and potatoes. This, Erik Axelsson says, is a striking case of co-evolution.