The macroevolutionary consequences of the association between frugivory and carotenoid-dependent plumage coloration in passerine birds

Biotic interactions influence evolutionary pathways, impacting diversification positively and negatively. Here, we examine the coevolutionary dynamics between frugivorous diets and carotenoid-dependent plumage coloration in passerine birds— a highly diverse order in which nearly half of species exhibit carotenoids in their plumage. Plumage coloration is crucial for species recognition and mate choice. As birds cannot synthesize carotenoids, they must obtain them from the diet. We analyze data from 90% of passerines and explore correlations between frugivory, a key carotenoid source, plumage coloration, and diversification rates.The data used in our study includes binary classification of passerines based on whether they present carotenoid-dependent plumage coloration or not and whether fruit compose 50% or more of the diet, also codified as a binary trait. All data come from published sources. Our Bayesian analysis reveals a strong evolutionary correlation between frugivory and the pres..., , # Trait Data Files (RevBayes & BayesTraits Input)

This folder contains all trait matrices and phylogenetic data used in the macroevolutionary analyses for:

**\"The macroevolutionary consequences of the association between frugivory and carotenoid-dependent plumage coloration in passerine birds\"**

All files are formatted for use with **RevBayes** and **BayesTraits**. The full dataset includes **5470 passerine species**.

---

## File Descriptions

| File name | Description |
| ---------------------------- | -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------...,