Clade-wide variation in bite-force 1 performance is determined primarily by 2 size not ecology.
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Issue date
2022-02-23Submitted date
2021-11-15Subject Terms
biteforcediet
lizard
tuatara
Lepidosaura
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Show full item recordAbstract
Performance traits are tightly linked to the fitness of organisms. However, because studies of variation in performance traits generally focus on just one or several closely-related species, we are unable to draw broader conclusions about how and why these traits vary across clades. One important performance trait related to many aspects of an animal’s life history is bite-force. Here we use a clade-wide phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate relationships between size, head dimensions and bite-force among lizards and tuatara (lepidosaurs), using the largest bite-force dataset collated to date for any taxonomic group. We test four predictions: that bite-force will be greater in larger species, and for a given body size, bite-force will be greatest in species with acrodont tooth attachment, herbivorous diets, and non-burrowing habits. We show that bite-force is strongly related to body and head size across lepidosaurs and, as predicted, larger species have the greatest bite-forces. Contrary to our other predictions, tooth attachment, diet and habit have little predictive power when accounting for size. Herbivores bite more forcefully simply because they are larger. Our results also highlight priorities for future sampling to further enhance our understanding of broader evolutionary patterns.Citation
Isip Justin E., Jones Marc E. H. and Cooper Natalie 2022Clade-wide variation in bite-force performance is determined primarily by size, not ecologyProc. R. Soc. B.2892021249320212493 http://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2493Publisher
Royal SocietyType
Journal ArticleItem Description
Copyright © The Authors 2021. This document is the authors' final accepted version of the journal article. You are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.NHM Repository
EISSN
1471-2954ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2021.2493
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