Meeting Abstract
Ecometric methods capture functional trait-environment relationships at the community-level and can be applied to fossil and future assemblages to understand change through time. We developed an ecometric model using the calcaneal gear ratio of ungulates across the globe. The gear ratio is a measurement of the overall length of the calcaneum divided by the length of the in-lever, i.e. calcaneal tuber. A low gear ratio indicates a long in-lever and a more plantigrade stance, e.g. pygmy hippo, whereas a high gear ratio indicates a short in-lever and a more unguligrade stance, e.g. steenbok. We tested the hypothesis that communities exhibiting higher gear ratios tend to occur in hot, dry, open habitats, whereas communities exhibiting lower gear ratios occur in cool, wet, closed habitats. We sampled ungulate species composition, mean and standard deviation of gear ratio, and environmental variables, including temperature, precipitation, and vegetation cover, at 50 km equidistant points across the globe (180 species and 53922 points). To discern relationships between morphology and environment, we calculated the most likely environment given community values of gear ratio. Anomalies between the observed and estimated values were used to evaluate ecometric models. For logged precipitation, anomalies ranged between 3.98 and -5.39 mm. With this ecometric framework, fossils of ungulate postcrania can be used to interpret paleoenvironment for a more comprehensive understanding of the past. These relationships between community morphology and environment will enable better models of biotic responses for conservation under changing environments.
