Statistical thinking for microbial ecology

Most microbial ecologists understand the importance of rigorous statistical analysis for conducting a replicable study. However, formal courses in the statistical analysis of high-dimensional ecological data are rare, and traditional courses in applied statistics may not teach skills applicable to modern microbiome analysis.

This webinar with Amy Willis, recorded on 17 April 2024, introduces foundational concepts in statistics, with a focus on applying these concepts to the analysis of modern microbiome datasets. To illustrate these concepts, the webinar use the field of “differential abundance” as a case study. It contrasts popular differential abundance parameters and estimators, specifically focusing on estimating meaningful contrasts using high-throughput sequencing data.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the webinar you will be able to:

• Distinguish a statistical parameter from an estimator
• Identify three challenges in analysing microbial high-throughput sequencing data
• Contrast estimating changes in microbial relative abundances with estimating fold-changes in total abundances

You may either watch the entire presentation from the introduction or navigate directly to a specific section by clicking the links provided below:

• Introduction
• Three approaches to analysing data
• Case study: Microbial abundance parameters
• RadEmu and its application
• Examples of statistical tools suitable for different parameters
• Q&A

This webinar was specifically designed for statistics in microbial ecology. On the next page, you can learn more about statistical methods for interpreting biological data more broadly.