Data from: The influence of climatic variability on morphological integration, evolutionary rates, and disparity in the Carnivora

Biodiversity is unevenly distributed in space and time. One possible explanation is the influence of climate on the ecology, evolution, and morphology of taxa. Here we investigated the link between climatic variability and phenotypic integration, rates of morphological evolution, and disparity (morphological diversity) in three carnivoran clades (Canidae, Felidae, Mustelidae). We gathered landmark data from the lower jaw and extracted current temperature and precipitation data from range maps. We found a significant negative relationship between climatic variability and integration for canids and felids. Among canids variability in temperature was the key climatic variable, while in felids it was a combination of variability in temperature and precipitation. In both cases, relatively variable climates were associated with low phenotypic integration. We also found evidence for a negative association between climatic variability and both disparity and rates of morphological evolution in canids and mustelids. Selection can drive the evolution of jaw shape along lines of least resistance defined by patterns of integration, and this study suggests that climate may be a predictor of phenotypic integration. As a result, taxa in more variable regions (e.g., temperate, montane) may be more evolvable and more able to respond to fluctuating environmental conditions over a period of generations.

生物多样性在时空分布上均存在不均一性。其中一种可能的解释是气候对分类群（taxa）的生态学、演化过程及形态特征的影响。本研究针对三个食肉目演化支——犬科（Canidae）、猫科（Felidae）与鼬科（Mustelidae）——探讨了气候变异性与表型整合（phenotypic integration）、形态演化速率及形态差异度（disparity，即形态多样性）之间的关联。我们收集了下颌骨的标志点数据（landmark data），并从物种分布区地图中提取了当前的温度与降水数据。研究发现，犬科与猫科类群的气候变异性与表型整合之间存在显著负相关关系：在犬科类群中，温度变异性为关键气候变量；而在猫科类群中，关键变量则为温度与降水变异性的共同作用。两类类群均表现出，气候变异性较高的环境与较低的表型整合水平相关联。本研究还证实，在犬科与鼬科类群中，气候变异性与形态差异度及形态演化速率均呈负相关关系。自然选择可沿表型整合模式所定义的最小阻力路径驱动下颌形态的演化，本研究表明气候或可作为表型整合水平的预测因子。因此，栖息于气候变异性更高的区域（如温带、山地）的类群，其演化潜力更强，更能在多代时间尺度上响应环境条件的波动。