Diet is a key aspect of life in animals. There have been numerous independent origins of herbivorous diet across animals, but the factors that explain these origins remain poorly understood. One potentially crucial factor is body temperature (T_b), as the gut-dwelling bacteria that help digest cellulose in many herbivores are thought to require high temperatures. However, analyses in birds, lizards and mammals found only limited evidence for higher T_b in herbivores than in carnivores. These analyses tested whether diet explains T_b evolution. Here, we focus instead on testing whether T_b helps explain the evolution of diet across tetrapods.

中文翻译：

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四足动物的饮食演变和体温：凉爽的老年食肉动物和炎热的年轻食草动物


饮食是动物生活的一个关键方面。动物食草饮食有许多独立的起源，但解释这些起源的因素仍然知之甚少。一个潜在的关键因素是体温 （T_b），因为许多食草动物帮助消化纤维素的肠道细菌被认为需要高温。然而，对鸟类、蜥蜴和哺乳动物的分析发现，食草动物的 T_b 高于食肉动物的证据有限。这些分析检验了饮食是否解释了 T_b 的进化。在这里，我们专注于测试 T_b 是否有助于解释四足动物饮食的进化。