Speciation is not associated with diet, habitat, body size, nor tail length (in muroid rodents)

What is it about?

Muroid rodents are extremely diverse; how did this diversity arise? In this study, we use a recently published molecular phylogeny of the group and trait-dependent diversification approaches to see if traits associated with the diversification of other animals (diet, habitat, body size, and tail length) are similarly associated with the diversification of muroid rodents--we do not find such a pattern in our data.

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Why is it important?

Why some taxonomic groups are more diverse than others is a question that has always intrigued biologists. What is ecologically and/or morphologically special about certain groups that allow them to diversify at a much greater rate than other taxa? This question has been examined in many taxonomic groups with contrasting results. This study is important because it shows that commonly used state-dependent diversification approaches are highly susceptible to Type I error, which may have led to spurious significant associations in previous studies.

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