The Galápagos archipelago is situated approximately 1,000 km from the coast of Ecuador and consists of 13 main islands and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean. The islands arose from repeated volcanic activity and are relatively young in geological terms, ranging from around 0.5 to 4 million years old. The heterogeneity of ecosystems within and across these islands, as well as their remote geographic isolation, led to the evolution of unique endemic fauna and flora. The biodiversity of the Galápagos islands showcases classic examples of adaptive radiation mechanisms, where a single ancestral species diversified into a variety of forms to survive in different ecological niches. For this reason, the Galápagos and other oceanic islands are referred to as natural laboratories of evolution.

During his visit to the Galápagos in 1835, Charles Darwin was inspired by the phenotypic fauna and flora diversity. Although Darwin is most recognized for his work on animal species, which contributed to his theory of evolution by natural selection¹, a large part of his scientific investigations included plants². To date, few studies have reported the diversity of microorganisms associated with terrestrial and marine species such as iguanas, coral reef fishes, turtles and penguins³ living on Galápagos. Studies on microorganisms associated with the endemic plants of Galápagos, such as the genus Scalesia (Asteraceae, Asterales and Magnoliidae) — the focus of our research — are lacking.

加拉帕戈斯群岛距离厄瓜多尔海岸约 1,000 公里，由太平洋上的 13 个主岛和众多小岛组成。这些岛屿是由反复的火山活动而形成的，从地质角度来看，它们的年龄相对较年轻，大约有 0.5 至 400 万年的历史。这些岛屿内部和之间生态系统的异质性，以及偏远的地理隔离，导致了独特的地方性动植物群的进化。加拉帕戈斯群岛的生物多样性展示了适应性辐射机制的经典例子，其中单一祖先物种多样化为多种形式，以在不同的生态位中生存。因此，加拉帕戈斯群岛和其他海洋岛屿被称为进化的天然实验室。

查尔斯·达尔文 (Charles Darwin) 1835 年访问加拉帕戈斯群岛期间，受到表型动植物多样性的启发。尽管达尔文最受认可的是他在动物物种方面的工作，这对他的自然选择进化论做出了贡献¹ ，但他的大部分科学研究都包括植物² 。迄今为止，很少有研究报告与生活在加拉帕戈斯群岛的陆地和海洋物种（如鬣蜥、珊瑚礁鱼类、海龟和企鹅^3）相关的微生物多样性。与加拉帕戈斯群岛特有植物相关的微生物的研究还很缺乏，例如我们研究的重点——鳞翅目属（菊科、紫菀目和木兰科）。