Data from: Cranial biomechanics underpins high sauropod diversity in resource-poor environments

High megaherbivore species richness is documented in both fossil and
contemporary ecosystems despite their high individual energy requirements.
An extreme example of this is the Late Jurassic Morrison Formation, which
was dominated by sauropod dinosaurs, the largest known terrestrial
vertebrates. High sauropod diversity within the resource-limited Morrison
is paradoxical, but might be explicable through sophisticated resource
partitioning. This hypothesis was tested through finite-element analysis
of the crania of the Morrison taxa Camarasaurus andDiplodocus. Results
demonstrate divergent specialization, with Camarasaurus capable of
exerting and accommodating greater bite forces thanDiplodocus, permitting
consumption of harder food items. Analysis of craniodental biomechanical
characters taken from 35 sauropod taxa demonstrates a functional dichotomy
in terms of bite force, cranial robustness and occlusal relationships
yielding two polyphyletic functional ‘grades’. Morrison taxa are widely
distributed within and between these two morphotypes, reflecting
distinctive foraging specializations that formed a biomechanical basis for
niche partitioning between them. This partitioning, coupled with benefits
associated with large body size, would have enabled the high sauropod
diversities present in the Morrison Formation. Further, this provides
insight into the mechanisms responsible for supporting the high
diversities of large megaherbivores observed in other Mesozoic and
Cenozoic communities, particularly those occurring in resource-limited
environments.