DOI: 10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxrm
title: Ecomorphology is associated with speciation and co-occurrence in <em>Sceloporus</em> lizards

description: Closely related species can impose strong forces of selection on one
 another through competition, leading to dramatic examples of phenotypic
 evolution. Niche partitioning can promote the use of novel resources
 between co-occurring species to reduce competitive overlap and thereby
 drive phenotypic divergence. Quantifying this potential relationship
 between ecology and morphology among species can reveal how opportunity
 and constraint interact to shape patterns of phenotypic evolution and how
 phenotypic diversity can facilitate co-occurrence. We explored the
 dynamics of ecomorphological evolution in relation to speciation and
 co-occurrence in Sceloporus lizards, a speciose group spanning North and
 Central America, where species often occur in sympatry. We collected data
 for 80 species and demonstrated strong relationships between multivariate
 morphology and ecology, finding that Sceloporus species occur in six
 ecological modes with associated morphologies (ecomorphs). The evolution
 of arboreality was a major transition that expanded morphospace, allowed
 for the evolution of further ecological novelty, and is associated with
 increased speciation rates. Across their range, Sceloporus ecomorphs are
 spatially overdispersed, suggesting that interspecific competition may
 limit the ability of similar species to coexist. By quantifying
 ecomorphological diversity across a diverse radiation, our results shed
 new light on how phenotypic variation accumulates and its implications for
 coexistence between closely-related species.
description: # Ecomorphology is associated with speciation and co-occurrence in
 *Sceloporus* lizards Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxrm](10.5061/dryad.z8w9ghxrm) ## Description of the
 data and file structure Morphological measurements from field-caught
 lizards and ethanol-preserved specimens for species in the genus
 Sceloporus. Ecological data from field observations and literature for
 Sceloporus species. Code used to run analyses about the relationship
 between ecology and morphology in a spatial and phylogenetic context  ###
 Files and variables #### File: morphology.csv
 **Description:** Morphological measurements (in cm) for species in the
 genus Sceloporus, averaged across multiple specimens and regressed against
 body size (given by SVL). This dataset contains the residuals of the
 regressions against body size for all traits except body size itself (last
 column, SVL). Column names refer to the measurements taken. Missing data
 represented as NaN. ##### Variables * species: name of the species *
 head_length: snout to head end * head_width: widest head point *
 body_width: widest body point * humerus_length: upper arm bone *
 radioulna_length: forearm bone length * forefoot_length: wrist to
 fingertip * forelimb_length: total front limb * femur_length: thigh bone
 length * tibiofibula_length: lower leg bone * hindfoot_fourth_toe: fourth
 toe length * hindfoot_length: ankle to toe tip * hindlimb_length: total
 hind limb * dorsal_scale_count: back scale number * SVL.cm.: SVL in
 centimetersSnout-Vent Length in cm #### File:
 Sceloporus-ecology-updated.csv **Description:** Ecological categorizations
 for Sceloporus species and the associated citations. The "full
 ecomorph" categorization contains 6 categories whereas the
 "simplified category"   ##### Variables * Binomial: Species name
 * ecomorph_category: One of 6 ecological groupings, arboreal (tree
 dwelling), saxicolous (rock dwelling), generalist, terrestrial,
 vegetation-dwelling, or sand-dwelling * simplified_category: One of 2
 ecological groupings based primarily on propensity to climb (scansorial)
 or not (terrestrial) * comments: citations and comments provided for each
 categorization #### File: cleaned-code.R **Description:** Code used to
 produce results from the manuscript  ## Code/software Code can be used to
 reproduce the results of the associated manuscript; analyses were run in R
 v 4.4.1 All packages and dependencies are listed at the beginning of the
 code