Assessing ER size scaling relative to chromosome size

ERs span a wide range of sizes, from small plasmid-like elements to large replicons approaching chromosomal dimensions. If ER size is shaped by lineage-specific genomic constraints, ER size is expected to scale with chromosome size.

For each ER–chromosome pair, we extracted the absolute ER size (bp) and the relative size expressed as a percentage of the chromosome (100 × ER size / chromosome size). Analyses were performed on log-transformed values to assess scaling relationships.

Size scaling was quantified using Spearman rank correlations between log10 chromosome size and log10 ER size (absolute scaling), and between log10 chromosome size and log10 ER size as a percentage of the chromosome (relative scaling). Analyses were conducted globally and for phyla containing at least 100 ERs.

Correlation summary

labeln_pairsrho_absp_absrho_relp_rel
GLOBAL547100.099707132442633776.923510966647698e-121-0.130811426650868842.3746865948656253e-207
Phylum: Actinomycetota18240.250612837015732061.6049397864341047e-27-0.032415950606257140.1664058693100043
Phylum: Bacillota104640.238295718448416775.049486698552399e-1350.02907972808208280.0029303960136567533
Phylum: Bacteroidota582-0.149490585046908540.000295727882969925-0.34227141509438111.9384847367468662e-17
Phylum: Campylobacterota4880.213322480151619841.9824398579425778e-060.130840125103587360.0037867954283388825
Phylum: Cyanobacteriota4860.3064815030092114.985356073132775e-120.052229292440348980.25045885245424804
Phylum: Deinococcota2190.248634403670207780.000201654574781118380.072058700480603990.28839483249675135
Phylum: Pseudomonadota38747-0.130112324374524946.9452497611010764e-146-0.244447874931014970.0
Phylum: Spirochaetota14960.42746818141928721.6593935372593467e-670.0245442569911766380.34278539237666317

Global analysis

Number of ER–chromosome pairs: 54710
Spearman ρ (absolute size) = 0.100 (p = 6.9e-121), indicating a very weak positive association.
Spearman ρ (relative size, %chr) = -0.131 (p = 2.4e-207), indicating a weak negative association.

Phylum-level analyses (≥ 100 ERs)

Actinomycetota

Pairs: 1824
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.251 (p = 1.6e-27), indicating a weak positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = -0.032 (p = 0.1664), indicating a very weak negative association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Bacillota

Pairs: 10464
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.238 (p = 5.0e-135), indicating a weak positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = 0.029 (p = 0.0029), indicating a very weak positive association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Bacteroidota

Pairs: 582
Spearman ρ (abs) = -0.149 (p = 0.0003), indicating a weak negative association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = -0.342 (p = 1.9e-17), indicating a strong negative association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Campylobacterota

Pairs: 488
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.213 (p = 2.0e-06), indicating a weak positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = 0.131 (p = 0.0038), indicating a weak positive association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Cyanobacteriota

Pairs: 486
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.306 (p = 5.0e-12), indicating a strong positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = 0.052 (p = 0.2505), indicating a very weak positive association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Deinococcota

Pairs: 219
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.249 (p = 0.0002), indicating a weak positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = 0.072 (p = 0.2884), indicating a very weak positive association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Pseudomonadota

Pairs: 38747
Spearman ρ (abs) = -0.130 (p = 6.9e-146), indicating a weak negative association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = -0.244 (p = 0.0e+00), indicating a weak negative association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)

Spirochaetota

Pairs: 1496
Spearman ρ (abs) = 0.427 (p = 1.7e-67), indicating a strong positive association.
Spearman ρ (%chr) = 0.025 (p = 0.3428), indicating a very weak positive association.

Absolute size

Relative size (%chr)