Link-HD: a versatile framework to explore and integrate heterogeneous microbial communities

Abstract

Motivation We present Link-HD, an approach to integrate multiple datasets. Link-HD is a generalization of ‘Structuration des Tableaux A Trois Indices de la Statistique–Analyse Conjointe de Tableaux’, a family of methods designed to integrate information from heterogeneous data. Here, we extend the classical approach to deal with broader datasets (e.g. compositional data), methods for variable selection and taxon-set enrichment analysis. Results The methodology is demonstrated by integrating rumen microbial communities from cows for which methane yield (⁠CH4y⁠) was individually measured. Our approach reproduces the significant link between rumen microbiota structure and CH4 emission. When analyzing the TARA’s ocean data, Link-HD replicates published results, highlighting the relevance of temperature with members of phyla Proteobacteria on the structure and functionality of this ecosystem.