Data from: Extreme and rapid bursts of functional adaptations shape bite force in amniotes

Adaptation is the fundamental driver of functional and biomechanical
evolution. Accordingly, the states of biomechanical traits (absolute or
relative trait values) have long been used as proxies of adaptations in
response to direct selection. However, ignoring evolutionary history, in
particular ancestry, passage of time and the rate of evolution, can be
misleading. Here, we apply a recently developed phylogenetic statistical
approach using significant rate shifts to detect instances of exceptional
rates of adaptive changes in bite force, in a large group of terrestrial
vertebrates, the amniotes. Our results show that bite force in amniotes
evolved through multiple bursts of exceptional rates of adaptive changes,
whereby whole groups – including Darwin’s finches, maniraptoran dinosaurs
(group of non-avian dinosaurs including birds), anthropoids and hominins
(the group of species including modern humans) – experienced significant
rate increases compared to the background rate. However, in most parts of
the amniote tree of life we find no exceptional rate increases, indicating
that coevolution with body size was primarily responsible for the patterns
observed in bite force. Our approach represents a template for future
studies in functional morphology and biomechanics, where exceptional rates
of adaptative changes can be quantified and potentially linked to specific
ecological factors underpinning major evolutionary radiations.