Phylosymbiosis and the microbiome of the native Australian stingless bee Tetragonula carbonaria

Tetragonula carbonaria (Smith 1854) is a native Australian stingless bee, hosting a diverse range of bacterial symbionts. T. carbonaria is used as a model to explore how relationships between host insects and the microbiome occur and can be detected within a single species, shedding light on how host-microbiome associations arise and are maintained across the corbiculate bees. Host-microbiome relationships are considered through the lens of phylosymbiosis. Methods for detecting phylosymbiosis are explored; different bioinformatics and statistical techniques are compared, with implications for future studies. Bayesian modelling is used to predict possible routes of acquisition of bee symbionts.