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Data from: What determines the distinct morphology of species with a particular ecology? The roles of many-to-one mapping and trade-offs in the evolution of frog ecomorphology and performance

Cite this dataset

Moen, Daniel S. (2019). Data from: What determines the distinct morphology of species with a particular ecology? The roles of many-to-one mapping and trade-offs in the evolution of frog ecomorphology and performance [Dataset]. Dryad. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.n07742q

Abstract

Organisms in a specific environment often have distinct morphology, but the factors that affect this fit are unclear when multiple morphological traits affect performance in multiple behaviors. Does the realized morphology of a species reflect a compromise in performance among behaviors (i.e. trade-offs)? Or does many-to-one mapping result in morphological distinctness without compromising performance across behaviors? The importance of these principles in organismal design has rarely been compared at the macroevolutionary scale. Here, I study 191 species of frogs around the world that inhabit different microhabitats, using models of phenotypic evolution to examine how form-function relationships may explain the fit between ecology and morphology. I found three key results. First, despite being distinct in leg morphology, ecomorphs were similar in jumping performance. Second, ecomorphs that regularly swim showed higher swimming performance, which paralleled the higher leg muscle mass in these taxa. Third, many-to-one mapping of form onto function occurred at all but the highest levels of both jumping and swimming performance. The seemingly contradictory first two results were explained by the third: when some behaviors are found across all species while others are restricted to a subset, many-to-one mapping allows species with distinct ecologies to have distinct body forms that reflect their specialized behaviors while maintaining similar performance in more general, shared behaviors.

Usage notes

Funding

National Science Foundation, Award: DEB-1655812

Location

Colombia
United States of America
China
Guatemala
Brazil
Uganda
Madagascar
Malaysia
Australia
Peru
Spain
India