https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline
Amplicon sequence processing workflow using QIIME 2 and Snakemake
https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline
amplicon-sequence-variants dada2 deblur noaa-omics-software snakemake
Last synced: about 12 hours ago
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Amplicon sequence processing workflow using QIIME 2 and Snakemake
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline
- Owner: aomlomics
- License: bsd-3-clause
- Created: 2018-03-19T10:36:47.000Z (about 8 years ago)
- Default Branch: V2
- Last Pushed: 2025-12-18T17:00:41.000Z (6 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-12-21T20:40:09.966Z (6 months ago)
- Topics: amplicon-sequence-variants, dada2, deblur, noaa-omics-software, snakemake
- Language: Python
- Homepage:
- Size: 56.9 MB
- Stars: 46
- Watchers: 5
- Forks: 22
- Open Issues: 32
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
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README

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# Tourmaline 2
Tourmaline 2 is an amplicon sequence processing workflow for Illumina sequence data that uses [QIIME 2](https://qiime2.org) and the software packages it wraps. Tourmaline 2 manages commands, inputs, and outputs using the [Snakemake](https://snakemake.readthedocs.io/en/stable/) workflow management system.
## Major changes in v2 vs. v1
**To use the Legacy v1 version of Tourmaline**, check out the [V1 branch](https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline/tree/V1) of this repository!
### Run via tourmaline.sh script
Instead of interacting with Snakemake rules directly, the main way to run Tourmaline 2 is through the `tourmaline.sh` script. This script allows you to run one or more of the workflow steps at a time, specify specific config files, and set the maximum number of cores. You must be located in the tourmaline directory when running it, however you can set the output file destinations to anywhere.
Usage:
```bash
conda activate snakemake-tour2
./tourmaline.sh --step [qaqc,repseqs,taxonomy] --configfile [config1,config2,config3] --cores N
```
You can still run individual snakemake rules as before. Each of the three steps (explained more below) has its own Snakefile, so you must specify the correct snakefile when running an individual rule.
### Providing externally-generated data
Unlike Tourmaline 1, you can start any of the three workflow steps with data from an external program, so long as it is formatted correctly. For example, if you already have ASV sequences and just want to assign taxonomy with Tourmaline, you can format them for QIIME 2 (code to help with this below) and just provide the file path in your config file.
## Overview
Tourmaline 2 is a modular Snakemake pipeline for processing DNA metabarcoding data. The pipeline consists of three main steps, plus an optional fourth step:
### Step 1. Sequence quality assurance and quality control
* Called "qaqc" in Tourmaline 2 code.
* Processes raw fastq files (paired-end or single-end data).
* Provides sequence quality plots for demultiplexed raw and/or trimmed reads.
* Optionally trims primer sequences from raw reads.
* Creates a QIIME 2 sequence artifact.
### Step 2. Representative sequences (denoising and ASV generation)
* Called "repseqs" in Tourmaline 2 code.
* Generates ASVs using the specified method (DADA2 or Deblur).
* Optional filtering based on length, abundance, and prevalence.
* Produces feature table and representative sequences.
### Step 3. Taxonomy assignment
* Called "taxonomy" in Tourmaline 2 code.
* Generates taxonomic assignments and visualizations.
* Assigns taxonomy using one of four methods:
* [Naive Bayes classifier as implemented in QIIME 2](https://docs.qiime2.org/2024.10/plugins/available/feature-classifier/classify-sklearn/)
* [Consensus BLAST as implemented in QIIME 2](https://docs.qiime2.org/2024.10/plugins/available/feature-classifier/classify-consensus-blast/)
* [Consensus VSEARCH as implemented in QIIME 2](https://docs.qiime2.org/2024.10/plugins/available/feature-classifier/classify-consensus-vsearch/)
* [Anacapa's Bowtie 2 and BLCA method](https://github.com/limey-bean/Anacapa?tab=readme-ov-file#step-3-taxonomic-assignment-using-bowtie-2-and-blca)
### Step 4. Generate bioinformatics metadata
* Creates a file with metadata about the analysis using FAIR eDNA terms.
* File can be read into the [NOAA Ocean DNA Explorer](https://www.ngi.msstate.edu/node).
## Setup Requirements
* [Conda (Miniconda works well)](https://docs.conda.io/projects/conda/en/latest/user-guide/install/index.html)
* [QIIME 2 (2024.10) amplicon workflow](https://docs.qiime2.org/2024.10/install/)
* [Snakemake conda environment, with extra packages installed](https://snakemake.readthedocs.io/en/stable/getting_started/installation.html)
```bash
conda create -c conda-forge -c bioconda -n snakemake-tour2 snakemake biopython yq parallel
```
* [V2 (default) branch of Tourmaline](https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline.git)
```bash
git clone https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline.git
```
* bowtie2-blca conda environment (required only if running BLCA taxa assignment)
```bash
conda create -c conda-forge -c bioconda -n bt2-blca biopython muscle=3.8 bowtie2
```
### Running Requirements
* `snakemake-tour2` environment must be activated
* Required configuration files for each step
* Input data files (vary depending on starting step)
* Must run from the Tourmaline directory downloaded from GitHub, which contains the `tourmaline.sh` script and Snakefiles
## Configuration Files
The pipeline uses three main configuration files, one for each step. These files can have any name, and example files are provided.
### 1. Sample/QA/QC Configuration (config_01_qaqc.yaml)
Key parameters:
```yaml
run_name: [your_run_name] # Name for this qaqc run, will be a prefix for outputs
output_dir: [path] # Output directory path
raw_fastq_path: [path] # Path to raw fastq files
paired_end: [True/False] # Whether data is paired-end
to_trim: [True/False] # Whether to trim sequences
# Trimming parameters
fwd_primer: [sequence] # Forward primer sequence
rev_primer: [sequence] # Reverse primer sequence
discard_untrimmed: [True/False] # Whether to discard sequences without the primer
minimum_length: [int] # Minimum sequence length to keep after trimming
```
#### QA/QC Input Files
There are three options for input files in the QA/QC step. You must choose one and leave the others blank in the config file:
```yaml
# Full path to raw demultiplexed fastq files. Sample names will be the prefix of the file names.
raw_fastq_path: [path]
# Full path to pre-trimmed fastq files. Sample names will be the prefix of the file names.
trimmed_fastq_path: [path]
# Relative path and file name of a QIIME2 manifest file. It can point to trimmed or untrimmed reads.
sample_manifest_file: [path/filename]
```
##### Sample Manifest Format
Can provide either the current QIIME2 tab-separated file format, or the legacy comma-separated format. Much have the correct headers:
**Tab-separated**
Paired-end:
```tsv
sample-id forward-absolute-filepath reverse-absolute-filepath
sample1 /path/to/sample1_R1.fastq.gz /path/to/sample1_R2.fastq.gz
```
Single-end:
```tsv
sample-id absolute-filepath
sample1 /path/to/sample1_R1.fastq.gz
```
**CSV (legacy)**
Paired-end:
```csv
sample-id,absolute-filepath,direction
sample1,/path/to/sample1_R1.fastq.gz,forward
sample1,/path/to/sample1_R2.fastq.gz,reverse
```
Single-end:
```csv
sample-id,absolute-filepath
sample1,/path/to/sample1_R1.fastq.gz
```
### FASTQ Files without a manifest file
* Paired-end naming: `{sample}_R1.fastq.gz` and `{sample}_R2.fastq.gz`
* Alternative format: `{sample}_R1_001.fastq.gz` and `{sample}_R2_001.fastq.gz`
* Single-end naming: `{sample}_R1.fastq.gz` or `{sample}_R1_001.fastq.gz`
### 2. Representative sequences configuration (config_02_repseqs.yaml)
Key parameters:
```yaml
run_name: [your_run_name] # Name for this repseqs run, can be the same or different than qaqc step
output_dir: [path] # Output directory path
asv_method: [method] # ASV method (dada2pe, dada2se, deblur)
# DADA2 parameters (if using dada2pe/dada2se)
dada2_trunc_len_f: [int] # Forward read truncation length
dada2pe_trunc_len_r: [int] # Reverse read truncation length (paired-end only)
dada2_trim_left_f: [int] # Number of bases to trim from start of forward reads
dada2pe_trim_left_r: [int] # Number of bases to trim from start of reverse reads (paired-end only)
# Filtering options
to_filter: [True/False] # Whether to apply filtering
repseq_min_length: [int] # Minimum ASV length
repseq_max_length: [int] # Maximum ASV length
repseq_min_abundance: [float] # Minimum abundance threshold
repseq_min_prevalence: [float] # Minimum prevalence threshold
```
#### Repseqs input files
You have two options for providing files to the repseqs step:
**1) Provide an existing Tourmaline QA/QC run**
* Either use the same `run_name` and `output_dir` for both steps, or
* Use a different `run_name` for the repseqs step, and provide the `sample_run_name` you want to use. Can be helpful if you are testing out different trimming parameters.
**2) Provide an externally generated QIIME2 sequence archive (.qza)**
To generate a QIIME2 sequence archive, you need a manifest file linking sample names with the absolute file path of the fastq.gz files (see the [TSV format above](https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline/blob/develop/README.md#sample-manifest-format).
Activate the `qiime2-amplicon-2024.10` environment.
```bash
conda activate qiime2-amplicon-2024.10
```
Import to a QIIME2 artifact. Change code to match your manifest file name and desired output .qza file name and path.
**Paired-end data**
```bash
qiime tools import \
--type 'SampleData[PairedEndSequencesWithQuality]' \
--input-path my_pe.manifest \
--output-path output-file_pe_fastq.qza \
--input-format PairedEndFastqManifestPhred33V2
```
**Single-end data**
```bash
qiime tools import \
--type 'SampleData[SequencesWithQuality]' \
--input-path my_se.manifest \
--output-path output-file_se_fastq.qza \
--input-format SingleEndFastqManifestPhred33V2
```
### 3. Taxonomy configuration (config_03_taxonomy.yaml)
Key parameters:
```yaml
run_name: [your_run_name] # Name for this pipeline run
output_dir: [path] # Output directory path
classify_method: [method] # Classification method (naive-bayes, consensus-blast, consensus-vsearch, bt2-blca)
collapse_taxalevel: [int] # Creates an additional table where ASV counts are collapsed to the provided taxonomic level
classify_threads: [int] # Number of threads for classification
```
#### Taxonomy Input Files
You have two options for providing files to the taxonomy step:
**1) Provide an existing Tourmaline repseqs run**
* Either use the same `run_name` and `output_dir` for both steps, or
* Use a different `run_name` for the taxonomy step, and provide the `repseqs_run_name` you want to use. Can be helpful if you are testing out different ASV parameters.
**2) Provide externally generated QIIME2 sequence archive and table (.qza)**
Must provide paths for both `repseqs_qza_file` and `table_qza_file`
**ASV sequences**
If you have a fasta file of ASV/OTU sequences, you can use the following code to generate a QIIME 2 repseqs archive.
Activate the `qiime2-amplicon-2024.10` environment.
```bash
conda activate qiime2-amplicon-2024.10
```
Import to a QIIME 2 artifact. Change code to match your fasta file name and desired output .qza file name and path.
```bash
qiime tools import \
--type 'FeatureData[Sequence]' \
--input-path my-asvs.fasta \
--output-path output-asvs.qza
```
**Read count table**
If you have a biom formatted table, you can [follow the QIIME2 guidance and check the format prior to importing](https://docs.qiime2.org/2024.10/tutorials/importing/#feature-table-data). Example for a BIOM v1.0.0 formatted file:
```bash
conda activate qiime2-amplicon-2024.10
qiime tools import \
--input-path feature-table-v100.biom \
--type 'FeatureTable[Frequency]' \
--input-format BIOMV100Format \
--output-path feature-table.qza
```
If you have a .tsv file with rows as unique sequences and columns as sample read counts, you can first [convert to BIOM](https://biom-format.org/documentation/biom_conversion.html) then convert to .qza. Example:
```bash
conda activate qiime2-amplicon-2024.10
biom convert -i otu_table.txt -o new_otu_table.biom --to-hdf5 --table-type="OTU table"
qiime tools import \
--input-path new_otu_table.biom \
--type 'FeatureTable[Frequency]' \
--input-format BIOMV210Format \
--output-path feature-table.qza
```
Key parameters for reference database:
```yaml
database_name: [name]
# Reference database name, just used for metadata
refseqs_file: [path]
# Reference sequences file,
taxa_file: [path]
# Reference taxonomy file
classify_method: [method]
# Classification method (naive-bayes, consensus-blast, consensus-vsearch)
taxa_ranks: [comma-separated list of ranks]
# Taxonomy rank levels that match the reference database
pretrained_classifier: [full path]
# Optional for naive-bayes method, if provided will ignore refseqs_file and taxa_file
bowtie_database: [path] # optional for bt2-blca, folder with bowtie index database, refseqs and taxa files also required
```
Method-specific parameters:
```yaml
# naive-bayes
skl_confidence: 0.7
# Confidence threshold for limiting taxonomic depth
# SEQ SIMILARITY (consensus-blast or consensus-vsearch)
perc_identity: 0.8
# Percent identity threshold for matches
query_cov: 0.8
# Query alignment coverage threshold for matches
min_consensus: 0.51
# Minimum fraction of assignments must match top hit to be accepted as consensus assignment
# bt2-blca
confidence_thres: 0.8
# Bootstrap confidence threshold for limiting taxonomic depth
```
## Running the workflow
The workflow can be run using the `tourmaline.sh` script. You can run all steps at once or run them modularly.
### Clone Tourmaline develop branch (first time only)
If this is your first time running Tourmaline, you'll need to set up your directory.
Start by cloning the Tourmaline directory and files of the **develop** branch:
```bash
git clone --branch develop https://github.com/aomlomics/tourmaline.git
```
### Activate Snakemake Conda environment
```
conda activate snakemake-tour2
```
Also make sure you have the ```qiime2-amplicon-2024.10``` environment installed, with that name. You do not need to install anything else in that environment.
### Basic usage
Navigate to the Tourmaline directory downloaded from GitHub as your working directory, then run:
```bash
./tourmaline.sh --step/-s [step] --configfile/-c [config_file] --cores/-n [num_cores]
```
#### Examples
Run a single step (taxonomy):
```bash
./tourmaline.sh -s taxonomy -c config_03_taxonomy.yaml -n 6
```
Run all steps with one command:
```bash
./tourmaline.sh -s qaqc,repseqs,taxonomy -c config_01_sample.yaml,config_02_repseqs.yaml,config_03_taxonomy.yaml -n 6
```
#### Important notes
* The number of steps must match the number of config files provided.
* Each step corresponds to its respective config file.
* Config files must be provided in the same order as the steps.
### Generate bioinformatics metadata
To generate a report file with metadata on the bioinformatics, provide your three config files to the ```scripts/format_analysisMetadata.py```, along with a `project_id`. Optionally, you can provide an `analysis_run_name` and `assay_name`, or the default will use the values provided in the sample step config file. If you are running the script outside of the tourmaline folder, you must also provide the path to the tourmaline metadata file.
Example:
```bash
python scripts/format_analysisMetadata.py -s config_01_sample.yaml -r config_02_repseqs.yaml -t config_03_taxonomy.yaml -p my_project -o my-tourmaline-metadata.tsv
```
Full documentation:
```
usage: format_analysisMetadata.py [-h] -s SAMPLES_CONFIG -r REPSEQS_CONFIG -t TAXONOMY_CONFIG -p PROJECT_ID [-a ASSAY_NAME]
[-A ANALYSIS_RUN_NAME] [-T TOURMALINE_METADATA] -o OUTPUT
Generate a single TSV file from multiple YAML files.
options:
-h, --help show this help message and exit
-s SAMPLES_CONFIG, --samples_config SAMPLES_CONFIG
Path to the samples config file
-r REPSEQS_CONFIG, --repseqs_config REPSEQS_CONFIG
Path to the repseqs config file
-t TAXONOMY_CONFIG, --taxonomy_config TAXONOMY_CONFIG
Path to the taxonomy config file
-p PROJECT_ID, --project_id PROJECT_ID
Value for project_id
-a ASSAY_NAME, --assay_name ASSAY_NAME
Value for assay_name, otherwise use value in samples config
-A ANALYSIS_RUN_NAME, --analysis_run_name ANALYSIS_RUN_NAME
Value for analysis_run_name, otherwise use value in samples config
-T TOURMALINE_METADATA, --tourmaline_metadata TOURMALINE_METADATA
Path to tourmaline metadata
-o OUTPUT, --output OUTPUT
Path to the output folder
```
## Directory structure
The pipeline creates the following directory structure for outputs:
```
output_dir/
├── [run_name]-samples/ # QA/QC outputs
├── [run_name]-repseqs/ # Representative sequences outputs
└── [run_name]-taxonomy/ # Taxonomy assignment outputs
```
Each directory contains the relevant outputs for that step of the pipeline.
## Disclaimer
This repository is a scientific product and is not official communication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or the United States Department of Commerce. All NOAA GitHub project code is provided on an 'as is' basis and the user assumes responsibility for its use. Any claims against the Department of Commerce or Department of Commerce bureaus stemming from the use of this GitHub project will be governed by all applicable Federal law. Any reference to specific commercial products, processes, or services by service mark, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply their endorsement, recommendation or favoring by the Department of Commerce. The Department of Commerce seal and logo, or the seal and logo of a DOC bureau, shall not be used in any manner to imply endorsement of any commercial product or activity by DOC or the United States Government.