Protax‐fungi: a web‐based tool for probabilistic taxonomic placement of fungal internal transcribed spacer sequences

• DOI: 10.1111/nph.15301
• Publication Date: 2018-07-23T09:07:29Z
• Authors: Kessy Abarenkov; Panu Somervuo; R. Henrik Nilsson; Paul M. Kirk; Tea Huotari; Nerea Abrego; Otso Ovaskainen
• Keywords: Taxonomic rank; Identification; Sequence (biology)

Incompleteness of reference sequence databases and unresolved taxonomic relationships complicates placement fungal sequences. We developed Protax-fungi, a general tool for internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences, implemented it into the PlutoF platform UNITE database molecular identification fungi. With empirical data on root- wood-associated fungi, Protax-fungi reliably identified (with at least 90% probability) majority sequences to order level but only around one-fifth them species level, reflecting current limited coverage databases. outperformed Sintax Rdb classifiers in terms increased accuracy decreased calibration error when applied mock communities representing groups with poor coverage. examine consistencies Index Fungorum This revealed inconsistencies taxonomy as well mislabelling quality problems database. The according improvements were both provides robust performing statistically reliable identifications fungi spite incompleteness extant relationships.