Upset plot phyla and genera

Upset plots were used to determine which microbial genera and phyla were unique to Rhipicephalus microplus ticks collected from cattle populations in Mpumalanga and KwaZulu Natal, providing information on the impact of spatial scale on the tick microbiome. Rhipicephalus microplus ticks reared on pathogen-free cattle were included in the analysis as a way to predict a putative core microbiome. This study determined that 148 bacterial genera were common to all samples and thus formed a theoretical South African R. microplus core microbiome, which may play an essential role in the biology and fitness of this species.