10.5061/DRYAD.8679
Kolbe, Sarah E.
University of Cincinnati
Lockwood, Rowan
College of William & Mary
Hunt, Gene
Smithsonian Institution
Data from: Does morphological variation buffer against extinction? A test
using veneroid bivalves from the Plio-Pleistocene of Florida
Dryad
dataset
2011
2011-02-25T16:30:18Z
2011-02-25T16:30:18Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1666/09073.1
121359 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Although morphological variation is known to influence the evolutionary
fates of species, the relationship between morphological variation and
survivorship in the face of extinction-inducing perturbations is poorly
understood. Here, we investigate this relationship for veneroid bivalves
in association with the Plio-Pleistocene extinction in Florida. Fourteen
pairs of related species were selected for analysis, with each pair
including one species that survived the Plio-Pleistocene extinction and
another that became extinct during the interval. Morphological landmark
data were acquired for more than 1500 museum specimens, representing 19
localities that encompass four well-known Plio-Pleistocene units in the
study region. Procrustes superimposition was applied to each sample, and
overall multivariate variation was calculated as the mean squared partial
Procrustes distance between specimens and their mean form. Morphological
variation was calculated at three geographic scales for each species, and
differences in variation between survivors and victims were examined
within each species pair. Results indicate that species surviving the
Plio-Pleistocene extinction were significantly more variable
morphologically than victims. Greater morphological variation may promote
survivorship by directly enhancing species adaptations to changing
conditions or by permitting the occupation of a larger geographic range.
Alternatively, high morphological variation and survivorship may both be
mediated by a third variable, such as large geographic range.
Appendix 1Locality information, including locality description and
location.Appendix 2Museum collection information for specimens examined in
this study.
Florida