scikit-bio

Perform biological sequence analysis and microbiome ecology workflows with scikit-bio.

4|Updated Mar 2, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/shushuzn/Rairos --skill scikit-bio-shushuzn
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: scikit-bio
Source: https://github.com/shushuzn/Rairos/tree/main/skills/scikit-bio
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/shushuzn/Rairos --skill scikit-bio-shushuzn

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill includes references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

It helps you analyze biological sequences and microbiome/community data end-to-end—covering file I/O, alignments, phylogenetics, diversity metrics, ordination, and key non-parametric tests—without stitching together multiple fragile tools.

Core Features & Use Cases

  • Sequence manipulation & I/O: Read/write common sequence and metadata-rich biological formats (e.g., FASTA/FASTQ/GenBank/Newick, etc.) and perform validated transformations like reverse complement, transcription, and translation.
  • Alignments & phylogenetic analysis: Compute pairwise and multiple alignments, build phylogenetic trees from distance matrices, and evaluate tree distances/topology comparisons.
  • Microbial ecology statistics: Calculate alpha/beta diversity (including UniFrac variants), perform ordination (PCoA/CCA/RDA), and run tests like PERMANOVA/ANOSIM/PERMDISP/Mantel.
  • Practical workflows: Integrate with BIOM feature tables and convert outputs into distance matrices and ordination/statistical objects for downstream reporting.
  • Use case: You have a set of microbial community samples stored as a BIOM table plus a phylogenetic tree, and you need UniFrac distances, PCoA coordinates, and PERMANOVA to test group differences.

Quick Start

Use the scikit-bio skill to compute PCoA coordinates from your beta-diversity distance matrix and report the main axes for your sample groups.

Frequently Asked Questions about scikit-bio

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I calculate UniFrac beta diversity distances from a BIOM table and phylogenetic tree?

To calculate UniFrac beta diversity distances, you load your BIOM feature table and matching Newick tree, ensuring OTU/ASV identifiers map correctly between them, then compute the distance matrix using scikit-bio's diversity functions for downstream ordination.

Can I perform PERMANOVA and Mantel tests on a microbiome distance matrix?

Yes, you can run permutation-based tests like PERMANOVA and Mantel directly on a distance matrix using scikit-bio, which validates group differences and correlations within microbial community ecology workflows without requiring external statistical packages.

How do I run PCoA ordination on beta-diversity distance matrices?

You run PCoA ordination on beta-diversity distance matrices by passing the computed distance matrix into scikit-bio's ordination functions, generating principal coordinates that visualize sample groupings for downstream statistical reporting.

Does scikit-bio support reading and writing FASTA, FASTQ, and GenBank files?

Yes, scikit-bio supports reading and writing common biological formats including FASTA, FASTQ, and GenBank, allowing validated sequence manipulations like reverse complement, transcription, and translation directly within the Python environment.

What is the best way to align biological sequences and build phylogenetic trees?

The best way to align sequences and build phylogenetic trees is using scikit-bio's pairwise and multiple alignment functions, then constructing trees from the resulting distance matrices while evaluating topology comparisons.

Why do my ordination results fail when using mismatched OTU IDs between tables and trees?

Ordination fails when OTU or ASV identifiers mismatch between BIOM tables and phylogenetic trees because scikit-bio requires correct identifier mapping to generate distance-matrix-compatible inputs for downstream diversity calculations and statistical tests.