Documentation

Overview

Welcome to Beetlejuice eDNA, your comprehensive tool for analyzing environmental DNA data. This guide will help you get started with analyzing your data and exploring relationships between environmental factors and biodiversity metrics.

Quick Start Guide

  1. Upload Your Data

    Upload your Excel file containing environmental and diversity data.

  2. Choose Analysis Mode

    Select the analysis mode that best fits your data format.

  3. Review Detections

    Review and confirm the detected columns in your data.

  4. Explore Relationships

    Use interactive visualizations to explore relationships between variables.

File Format

The tool supports three analysis modes, each with different format requirements. Choose the one that best matches your data structure.

Standard Template Format

This is the format the program expects in "Template" mode. Columns that have missing data will still be processed. Your Excel file should have the following columns in any order:

Column NameData TypeDescriptionRequired
Sample CodeTextUnique identifier for each sampleYes
BarcodeTextSample barcode identifierNo
Original Qubit (ng/ul)NumberDNA concentration measurementNo
Reads assignedNumberNumber of sequencing readsNo
DateDateSample collection dateNo
LatitudeNumberDecimal degrees (WGS84)Yes
LongitudeNumberDecimal degrees (WGS84)Yes
ElevationNumberElevation in metersNo
Avg TemperatureNumberAverage temperature in °CNo
DepartureNumberTemperature departure from normalNo
pHNumberpH value (0-14)No
General hardness (calcium carbonate)NumberWater hardness measurementNo
Total alkalinityNumberWater alkalinity measurementNo
CarbonateNumberCarbonate concentrationNo
PhosphateNumberPhosphate concentrationNo
NitrateNumberNitrate concentrationNo
NitriteNumberNitrite concentrationNo
Free chlorineNumberFree chlorine concentrationNo
Radioactivity above backgroundText"Yes" or "No"No
Shannon's diversity indexNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Simpson's indexNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Inverse Simpson's indexNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Berger Parker indexNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Effective number of speciesNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Fisher's alphaNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
Pielou's evennessNumberSpecies diversity measureNo
RichnessNumberNumber of speciesNo
Soil TypeTextType of soilNo
Specific soil type nameTextDetailed soil classificationNo
Rock TypeTextType of rockNo
Esri Symbology (Rock Age)TextRock age classificationNo
EcoregionTextEcological region classificationNo

Important Notes:

  • • Column names are case-insensitive (e.g., "pH" or "ph" both work)
  • • All numeric values should be in decimal format
  • • Missing values should be left blank (not filled with zeros or text)
  • • Sample codes must be unique
  • • Coordinates must be in WGS84 (decimal degrees)
  • • Only Sample Code, Latitude, and Longitude are required fields
  • • All other fields are optional but recommended for comprehensive analysis

Choose Analysis Mode

Select the analysis mode that best fits your data format.

Review Detections

Review and confirm the detected columns in your data.

Explore Relationships

Use interactive visualizations to explore relationships between variables.

Data Types

The tool supports the following types of data:

  • Environmental parameters (temperature, pH, etc.)
  • Diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson, etc.)

Column Mapping

The tool automatically detects and maps your Excel column headers to internal data types. You can review and edit these mappings by clicking on any detected column.

Internal NameExcel Header Examples
Temperaturetemp, temperature, °C, avg_temp, ...
pHph, pH, acidity, ...
Shannon Indexshannon, diversity, H', ...

Available Charts

  • Scatter Plot: Explore relationships between two continuous variables
  • Correlation Matrix: Visualize all pairwise correlations in your dataset

Behind-the-scenes Stats

The tool uses robust statistical methods to analyze your data. All calculations automatically handle missing or invalid values.

  • Pearson r: Measures linear correlation between variables
  • OLS Regression: Fits a line of best fit using ordinary least squares
  • Data Cleaning: Non-finite values (NaN, Inf) are automatically filtered
  • Minimum Requirements: At least 2 valid data points required for calculations

Common Data Issues

  • Missing Headers: Ensure all columns have descriptive headers
  • Mixed Data Types: Convert text-formatted numbers to numeric values
  • Duplicate Samples: Check for and remove duplicate sample codes
  • Encoding Issues: Save files in UTF-8 format to avoid special character problems

FAQ

Which Excel versions are supported?

Files must be in .xlsx format (Excel 2007 or later).

What coordinate system is used?

Coordinates should be in WGS84 (EPSG:4326).

How do I switch to dark mode?

Use the theme toggle in the top-right corner of the page.

Troubleshooting

Symptom

  • Blank plot
  • Missing columns
  • Incorrect data types
  • Slow performance

Fix

  • Check for identical x-values
  • Verify column headers
  • Convert text to numbers
  • Reduce dataset size