Data from: Morphological disparity and evolutionary rates of cranial and postcranial characters in sloths (Mammalia, Pilosa, Folivora)

Sloth morphological evolution has been widely studied qualitatively, with
comparative anatomy and morpho-functional approaches, or through
quantitative assessments of morphological variation using morphometrics.
Only recently, however, have folivoran morphological disparity and
evolutionary rates begun to be evaluated using discrete character data.
Nonetheless, patterns of morphological evolution in separate character
partitions have not been investigated, neither the relative influence of,
on the one hand, phylogeny, and on the other, dietary and locomotory
adaptations of sloths. Here we evaluate those patterns using a
phylomorphospace approach, quantifying morphological disparity and
evolutionary rates, and investigating possible drivers of morphological
evolution for cranial and postcranial characters in Folivora. The
evolution of the morphology in those partitions is associated with
distinct patterns of disparity among clades and ecological groups, even
though the two partitions do not differ substantially in overall
evolutionary tempo. Historical processes shaped the morphological
evolution of sloths more consistently than ecological ones, although
changes in postcranial characters also seem to be associated with
locomotory adaptations, in which morphological convergences were much more
common. We also discuss important methodological trade-offs in
investigations of partitioned datasets mostly composed of fossil taxa.