Data from: Morphological disparity of mammalian limb bones throughout the Cenozoic: the role of biotic and abiotic factors

Mammals exhibit ecology-related diversity in long bone morphology,
revealing an ample spectrum of adaptations both within and between clades.
Their occupation of unique ecological niches in postcranial morphology is
thought to have occurred at different chronological phases in relation to
abiotic factors such as climate and biotic interactions amongst major
clades. Mammalian morphologies rapidly evolved throughout the Cenozoic,
with several orders following different paths in locomotory adaptations.
We assessed morphological variation in limb proportions for a rich sample
of extant and fossil large mammalian clades (mainly carnivores and
ungulates) to test associations with ecological adaptations and to
identify temporal patterns of diversification. Phylogenetic relationships
among species were incorporated into the analysis of limb bone
proportions, showing significant morphological changes in relation to
species substrate preference. Major climatic events appeared to have no
temporal impact on patterns of morphological diversification, expressed as
morphological disparity, in either clades or ecological groups. Linear
stochastic differential equations supported a double-wedge diversification
model for limb proportions of carnivorous clades (‘Creodonta’ and
Carnivora). The concomitant increase in morphological disparity throughout
the Cenozoic for the orders Carnivora and Artiodactyla had a significative
impact on the disparity of Perissodactyla supporting biotic interaction as
the primary driver of mammalian morphological diversification. Our
findings challenge the classic idea of abiotic factors as primary driving
forces in the evolution of postcranial morphologies for large terrestrial
mammals and propose clade competition as a key factor in temporal
diversification.