Metagenomics of Lichen associated bacterial community profiling in Roccella montagnei

The metagenomic analysis of lichen Roccella montagnei data that has been generated, the findings understand that a total of 424 OTUs were obtained from three lichens. Among the total OTU Vedaranyam lichen, the coastal location sample showed the greatest number of unique OTUs (42) and the lowest was Pollachi lichen from Cocos nucifera in terrestrial habitat. However, the majority OTUs (57) were shared between Nagercoil lichen from Cocos nucifera (Coastal); Vedaranyam lichen from Maba buxifolia in Coastal locations than by Pollachi sample the others. The taxonomic analysis of microbial community abundance on Roccella montagnei showed the abundance of Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Actinobacteria in Phylum level; Gammaproteobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria in Class level; Pseudomonadales, Rhizobiales and Xanthomonadales in Family level; Unclassified genera, Pseudomonas, Ochrobactrum, and Stenotrophomonas in the Genus level; and finally Unclassified species, diminuta, marcescens, and meningoseptica in Species-level of taxonomy. All the Alpha and Beta diversity analysis using various tools have shown variations present in all samples but it has led to the conclusion of similarity of Nagercoil and Vedharanyam coastal lichen samples, the UPGMA tree confirms their evolutionary lineage. The result reveals that the bacterial community variation in a lichen is due to the geographic origin, the biotic and abiotic factors surrounding the environment, the substrate in which they grow, the microhabitat conditions around the lichen sample. The resulting findings were deliberated in terms of the stability of the lichen-associated bacterial community under changing abiotic conditions. They extend our understanding of a highly interesting lifeform and show how the bacterial fraction of the holobiont maintains its integrity despite of unfavorable environmental influences. Finally, this study data will be a contribution of bacterial community profiles that were uncultivable, and their diversity, similarity, and dissimilarity have been revealed to this society.