TaxonTableTools: A comprehensive, platform‐independent graphical user interface software to explore and visualise DNA metabarcoding data

• DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13358
• Publication Date: 2021-02-16T08:25:38Z
• Authors: Till‐Hendrik Macher; Arne J. Beermann; Florian Leese
• Keywords: Graphical user interface; Python; Table (database)

Abstract DNA metabarcoding is increasingly used as a tool to assess biodiversity in research and environmental management. Powerful analysis software exists process raw data. However, the translation of sequence read data into biological information downstream analyses may be difficult for end users with limited expertise bioinformatics. Thus, there growing need easy‐to‐use, graphical user interface (GUI) analyse visualise Here, we present TaxonTableTools (TTT), new platform‐independent GUI that aims fill this gap by providing simple, reproducible visualisation workflows. At its base, TTT uses "TaXon table", which format can generated easily within from two input files: table taxonomy obtained using various published pipelines. modules include Venn diagrams compare taxon overlap among replicates, samples, or methods. visualises basic statistics, such proportion per taxon, well more sophisticated visualisations, interactive Krona charts taxonomic exploration. Various ecological produced directly, including alpha beta diversity estimates, rarefaction ordination plots. Metabarcoding converted formats required traditional, taxonomy‐based performed regulatory bioassessment programs. In addition, able produce html‐based graphics analysed any web browser. The comes manual tutorial, free publicly available through GitHub ( https://github.com/TillMacher/TaxonTableTools ) Python package index https://pypi.org/project/taxontabletools/ ).