Use and abuse of correlation analyses in microbial ecology.

Abstract

Correlation analyses are often included in bioinformatic pipelines as methods for inferring taxon-taxon interactions. In this perspective, we highlight the pitfalls of inferring interactions from covariance and suggest methods, study design considerations, and additional data types for improving high-throughput interaction inferences. We conclude that correlation, even when augmented by other data types, almost never provides reliable information on direct biotic interactions in real-world ecosystems. These bioinformatically inferred associations are useful for reducing the number of potential hypotheses that we might test, but will never preclude the necessity for experimental validation.