The association between morphological and ecological characters across a global passerine radiation

• Published in: The Journal of animal ecology Vol. 89; no. 4; pp. 1094 - 1108
• Main Authors: Kennedy, Jonathan D., Marki, Petter Z., Fjeldså, Jon, Rahbek, Carsten, Derryberry, Elizabeth
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2020
• Subjects: Adaptation; animal ecology; diet; Discriminant analysis; ecological characters; ecological selection; Evolution; feeding ecology; Foraging habitats; form–function; habitats; Morphology; Passeriformes; passerine birds; Phylogeny; Regression analysis; selective optima; Small mammals; Species; variance; Variation; morphology; passerine birds; ecological selection; diet; feeding ecology; ecological characters; form-function; selective optima

Strong relationships between morphological and ecological characters are commonly predicted to reflect the association between form and function, with this hypothesis being well supported in restricted taxonomic and geographical contexts. Conversely, among broader sets of species, ecological variabl...