Fig. 2.

DAMe workflow. a DAMe initially sorts sequences by tag combination and collapses the repetitive sequences into unique sequences. An optional chimera removal step can be performed. With the resulting information a decision can be taken on the thresholds for filtering erroneous sequences prior to taxonomy assignment. Renkonen similarity index can be optionally computed for every pair-wise PCR replicate in order to test for the comparability of the PCR replicates. Also, sequences can optionally be de-collapsed if later taxonomy assignment requires this. b From each step different output files are obtained, containing information from each sequence such as the sample source, identified tag combination, frequency, and PCR reproducibility