Stochastic character mapping, Bayesian model selection, and biosynthetic pathways shed new light on the evolution of habitat preference in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are the only prokaryotes to have evolved oxygenic photosynthesis paving the way for complex life. Studying the evolution and ecological niche of cyanobacteria and their ancestors is crucial for understanding the intricate dynamics of biosphere evolution. These organisms frequently deal with environmental stressors such as salinity and drought, and they employ compatible solutes as a mechanism to cope with these challenges. Compatible solutes are small molecules that help maintain cellular osmotic balance in high-salinity environments, such as marine waters. Their production plays a crucial role in salt tolerance, which, in turn, influences habitat preference. Among the five known compatible solutes produced by cyanobacteria (sucrose, trehalose, glucosylglycerol, glucosylglycerate, and glycine betaine), their synthesis varies between individual strains. In this study, we work in a Bayesian stochastic mapping framework, integrating multiple sources of information about compa..., Please see the associated manuscript for more information about the data and methods., , # Data from: Stochastic character mapping, Bayesian model selection, and biosynthetic pathways shed new light on the evolution of habitat preference in cyanobacteria

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4hq](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.bnzs7h4hq)

This repository contains Supplementary Information for the manuscript

**\"Stochastic Character Mapping, Bayesian Model Selection, and Biosynthetic Pathways Shed New Light on the Evolution of Habitat Preference in Cyanobacteria\"**

*By G. Bianchini, M. Hagemann, and P. Sánchez-Baracaldo*

Information about the methods used to obtain these data is available in the main manuscript.

## Description of the data and file structure

The file `Supplementary_Information.docx` contains Supplementary Tables S1-S10,
Supplementary Figures S1-S14, as well as additional information supplementing
the main manuscript.

The file `Character_states.tsv` contains presence/absence data for compatible
solutes in the cyanobacterial strains analysed, as well as hab...