Statistics Workflows for Environmental DNA Observational Data

Project PI: Grant Sanderson

Project Advisor: Dr. Steven Colbert

Environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis is becoming an increasingly useful tool in marine ecology due to its uses in detecting rare species, and surveying communities without invasive techniques. However, the tools and workflows used to analyze eDNA are still in their infancy, and statistical analysis of eDNA diversity data is often difficult to grasp for those without an extensive background in computing. Therefore, through an internship with NOAA, I will write code that can easily import eDNA diversity data, perform basic statistics, and provide a framework for more specialized analyses. In the future, this code will be used to help predict harmful cyanobacteria blooms in the Great Lakes.

Project completed