Table 4 Comparison of msGBS to currently available molecular methods for species identification and quantification
From: Genotyping by sequencing for estimating relative abundances of diatom taxa in mock communities
msGBS | qPCR/ddPCR | Metabarcoding | |
|---|---|---|---|
Quantitative information | Quantitative through the use of calibration samples | Fully quantitative through standard curves | Possibly semiquantitative (further research is required) |
Scalability (number of species) | High (depending on sequencing depth) | Low (i.e., only a few species) | High (depending on sequencing depth) |
Sensitivity (i.e., detection capability) | Further research is required on field samples | High—very high, (i.e., depends on the primer efficiency) | High (i.e., sometimes lower than qPCR/ddPCR) |
Taxonomic resolution | Subspecies, variety (i.e., depends on the number of reference clusters) | Species-level or above (i.e., might be difficult or impossible for very closely related species) | Species-level or above (i.e., might be difficult or impossible for very closely related species) |
Laboratory work and data analysis | Requires highly trained personnel | Relatively easy owing to standardized instruments and software | Requires highly trained personnel |