4.1 Variation in the bite force associated with craniodental traits
Bite force has been established as an important performance trait for vertebrates that is associated with both cranial morphology and trophic ecology (Santana, Dumont, & Davis, 2010). However. studies in bats have based their conclusions on biomechanical models of the bite force without adequately testing the assumed correlation of it with the shape of the skull (Aguirre, Herrel, Van Damme, & Matthysen, 2002; Dumont, 2007; Herrel, De Smet, Aguirre & Aerts, 2008). Our study shows, for the first time, strong quantitative evidence of such a correlation by using a dataset of cranial traits involved in bite force within a morphologically diverse clade of New World fruit bats.