Data from: Multiple morphological clocks and total-evidence tip-dating in mammals

Morphological integration predicts that correlated characters will
coevolve; thus, each distinct suite of correlated characters might be
expected to evolve according to a separate clock or ‘pacemaker’.
Characters in a large morphological dataset for mammals were found to be
evolving according to seven separate clocks, each distinct from the
molecular clock. Total-evidence tip-dating using these multiple clocks
inflated divergence time estimates, but potentially improved topological
inference. In particular, single-clock analyses placed several
meridiungulates and condylarths in a heterodox position as stem
placentals, but multi-clock analyses retrieved a more plausible and
orthodox position within crown placentals. Several shortcomings (including
uneven character sampling) currently impact upon the accuracy of
total-evidence dating, but this study suggests that when sufficiently
large and appropriately constructed phenotypic datasets become more
commonplace, multi-clock approaches are feasible and can affect both
divergence dates and phylogenetic relationships.