Uncovering the mosaic evolution of the carnivoran skeletal system

The diversity of vertebrate skeletons is often attributed to adaptations to distinct ecological factors such as diet, locomotion, and sensory environment. Although the adaptive evolution of skull, appendicular skeleton, and vertebral column is well studied in vertebrates, comprehensive investigations of all skeletal components simultaneously are rarely performed. Consequently, we know little of how modes of evolution differ among skeletal components. Here, we tested if ecological and phylogenetic effects led to distinct modes of evolution among the cranial, appendicular, and vertebral regions in extant carnivoran skeletons. Using multivariate evolutionary models, we found mosaic evolution in which only the mandible, hindlimb, and posterior (i.e., last thoracic and lumbar) vertebrae showed evidence of adaptation towards ecological regimes whereas the remaining skeletal components reflect clade-specific evolutionary shifts. We hypothesize that the decoupled evolution of individual skeleta..., , , # Uncovering the mosaic evolution of carnivoran skeletal systems Give a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results. ## Description of the data and file structure data_dryad.csv = csv file with all trait data Upham_1k_carnivorans.nex = nexus tree file with 1000 carnivoran phylogenies used in the study All traits measured in mm  Geomean = geometric mean of all traits  Cranial traits CBL = condylobasal length POC = postorbital constriction breadth ZB = zygomatic breadth MB = mastoid breadth AFH = anterior facial height PFH = posterior facial height CVH = cranial vault height PW = palate width BCL = basicranial length cran_MRL = molar row length cran_M1L = first molar length cran_M1W = first molar width  mandibular traits MAT = moment arm of temporalis MAM = moment arm of masseter MAM2 = moment arm of masseter MOL = molar out-lever COL = canine out-lever MW = mandibular width AMW = anterior mandibular width man_MRL = molar row length m...