ArticleProceedings. Biological sciences2022
Clade-wide variation in bite-force performance is determined primarily by size, not ecology.
Article in Proceedings. Biological sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed.
- Feeding biomechanics in vertebrates and beyond.Anatomical record (Hoboken, N.J. : 2007) · 2026Article
- Linking morphology and performance: skeletal growth and sex-specific form-function relationships in an agamid lizard.The Journal of experimental biology · 2026Article
- Sex-Specific Phenotype-Performance Links: Divergent Correlations Between Morphology, Coloration, and Bite Force in the Mountain Dragon (Ecology and evolution · 2026Article
- Constraints and adaptations in crocodyliform skull evolution.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2025Article
- Evolutionary Links Between Skull Shape and Body Size Suggest Allometric Forces and Selection at Work in a Generalist Group of Lizards.Ecology and evolution · 2024Article
- Clade-wide variation in bite-force performance is determined primarily by size, not ecology.Proceedings. Biological sciences · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
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Abstract
Performance traits are tightly linked to the fitness of organisms. However, because studies of variation in performance traits generally focus on just one or several closely related species, we are unable to draw broader conclusions about how and why these traits vary across clades. One important performance trait related to many aspects of an animal's life history is bite-force. Here, we use a clade-wide phylogenetic comparative approach to investigate relationships between size, head dimensions and bite-force among lizards and tuatara (lepidosaurs), using the largest bite-force dataset collated to date for any taxonomic group. We test four predictions: that bite-force will be greater in larger species, and for a given body size, bite-force will be greatest in species with acrodont tooth attachment, herbivorous diets, and non-burrowing habits. We show that bite-force is strongly related to body and head size across lepidosaurs and, as predicted, larger species have the greatest bite-forces. Contrary to our other predictions, tooth attachment, diet and habit have little predictive power when accounting for size. Herbivores bite more forcefully simply because they are larger. Our results also highlight priorities for future sampling to further enhance our understanding of broader evolutionary patterns.
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