erformance analysis is a cornerstone of ecomorphology and summarizes the interaction between morphology and behavior as animals carry out ecologically relevant tasks. Informative measures of performance provide assessments of animals' abilities to execute tasks that are associated, directly or indirectly, with fitness. In studies of vertebrate feeding, bite force has emerged as an important performance variable because it defines the range of food resources that animals can physically break apart during feeding.
Fruits that are consumed by bats vary significantly in size and hardness. In addition, fruit bats are selective feeders, with each species focusing on a slightly different subset of available fruit resources. Given these facts, it seems likely that the physical properties of fruits are an important factor governing resource partitioning within frugivore assemblages.
Building from simple models of the mammalian feeding apparatus, the morphological and behavioral diversity expressed by frugivorous bats are likely to contribute significantly to variation in the forces they can produce during biting. In collaboration with Dr. Anthony Herrel, we have gathered bite force data from a variety of frugivorous bats. In addition to documenting maximum bite forces, we have also investigated the effect of variation in bite point and gape on bite force production. These data provide a means of assessing the functional implications of behavioral variation.
Ultimately, we will combine bite force with data summarizing the morphology of the masticatory apparatus and the behavioral diversity of fruit bats in order to document the relationship between feeding performance and ecological diversity. By evaluating these variables within a clear phylogenetic framework, we can assess the evolution of craniofacial morphology and feeding behavior with respect to the evolution of ecological diversity within parallel radiations of frugivorous bats.
