Ramalina_decipiens_microbiome

On the basis of the many functions that the associated bacterial communities fulfil in the lichen symbiosis and the fact that these communities can vary between species, we hypothesize that microbiomes may have played an important role in lichen-forming fungi radiations in oceanic islands. To test this hypothesis in the Ramalina decipiens group, we specifically address the following questions: (i) does the microbiome composition vary among the species of the group? (ii) Are there differences in the functional capacities of the microbial communities associated with each species? (iii) Which factors drive microbiome diversity and composition? (iv) Is there a phylosymbiotic pattern? And, if so, (v) is the phylosymbiosis the result of vertical transmission or of environmental filtering?