Data from: Radiating despite a lack of character: ecological divergence among closely related, morphologically similar honeyeaters (Aves: Meliphagidae) co-occurring in arid Australian environments

Quantifying the relationship between form and function can inform use of
morphology as a surrogate for ecology. How the strength of this
relationship varies continentally can inform understanding of evolutionary
radiations; for example, does the relationship break down when certain
lineages invade and diversify in novel habitats? The 75 species of
Australian honeyeaters (Meliphagidae) are morphologically and ecologically
diverse, with species feeding on nectar, insects, fruit, and other
resources. We investigated Meliphagidae ecomorphology and community
structure by (1) quantifying the concordance between morphology and
ecology (foraging behavior), (2) estimating rates of trait evolution in
relation to the packing of ecological space, and (3) comparing
phylogenetic and trait community structure across the broad environmental
gradients of the continent. We found that morphology explained 37% of the
variance in ecology (and 62% vice versa), and we uncovered well-known
bivariate relationships among the multivariate ecomorphological data.
Ecological trait diversity declined less rapidly than phylogenetic
diversity along a gradient of decreasing precipitation. We employ a new
method (trait fields) and extend another (phylogenetic fields) to show
that while species in phylogenetically clustered, arid-environment
assemblages are similar morphologically, they are as varied in foraging
behavior as those from more diverse assemblages. Thus, although closely
related and similar morphologically, these arid-adapted species have
diverged in ecological space to a similar degree as their mesic
counterparts.