Is ANOVA model applicable to KO abundance data?

[drbmanna]

Dear MicrobiomeAnalyst team,

Thank you for developing such a valuable tool. I am currently working on shotgun data profiling and I have a question regarding the analysis. Specifically, I have a table of KO abundance data that has been normalized using TPM. Upon uploading the data for differential analysis with a single factor, I noticed that T-test/ANOVA is listed as one of the available statistical methods.

I wanted to inquire about the applicability of the one-way ANOVA model to KO abundance data. Can this statistical approach be utilized for analyzing KO abundance data? If so, I would greatly appreciate it if you could provide some literature references that support the use of one-way ANOVA for analyzing KO abundance data.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

Best,
BM.

[jeff.xia]

T-tests / ANOVA is a basic or baseline approach for almost any omics data analysis. You can certainly use and compare with other methods designed specifically for microbiome data.

Keep in mind, any (basic or advanced) statistical methods or machine learning approaches will have their pitfalls and you must always relate to your own data and study design.