Taxon Identifier Resolution API

Taxon identifier resolution via Open Tree of Life API

Summary

Normalize raw taxonomy strings (species, genus, family) to currently recognized taxonomic names and their Open Tree of Life identifiers (OTOL_ID) for downstream integration into metabolomics literature and chemical class calculations. This ensures consistent cross-referencing with external taxonomic databases and enables accurate Literature Component scoring.

When to use

You have a metadata table with raw, non-standardized taxonomy strings (e.g. misspellings, deprecated nomenclature, or aliases) in separate species, genus, and family columns, and you need to standardize them before performing taxon-dependent scoring (e.g. Literature Component calculation) or cross-referencing with the Lotus Database (which uses NPClassifyre ontology). This is mandatory before running INVENTA if you plan to use the Literature Component or Class Component.

When NOT to use

• Taxonomy strings are already validated and current in the input (e.g. already curated against a recent taxonomic reference).
• You do not plan to use Literature Component or Class Component scoring; if only Feature Component is needed, raw taxonomy may be acceptable.
• The Open Tree of Life API is unavailable or your network cannot reach the service.

Inputs

• Metadata table (TSV format) with ATTRIBUTE_Species, ATTRIBUTE_Genus, ATTRIBUTE_Family columns
• Raw taxonomy strings (species, genus, and family names in free text)

Outputs

• Cleaned metadata TSV with resolved taxonomy names
• OTOL_ID columns for species, genus, and family ranks
• Mapping table linking original names to resolved names and OTOL_IDs

How to apply

Load the metadata table in TSV format and extract the three columns designated as species_column, genus_column, and family_column. For each unique taxon name in each rank, query the Open Tree of Life API to retrieve the current accepted name and corresponding OTOL_ID. Build a mapping table linking original names to resolved names and OTOL_IDs for all three ranks. Replace the original taxonomy strings in the metadata table with the resolved names and append new OTOL_ID columns for each rank. The resolved names ensure consistency with currently recognized nomenclature, and the OTOL_IDs enable linking to external resources. Output a cleaned metadata TSV with standardized taxonomy and OTOL_ID fields, suitable for LC and CC calculations.

Related tools

• Open Tree of Life (Provides API queries to retrieve accepted taxon names and OTOL_IDs for normalization) — https://opentree.readthedocs.io/en/latest/readme.html
• INVENTA (Consumes cleaned metadata with resolved taxonomy for Literature Component and Class Component calculations) — https://github.com/luigiquiros/inventa
• Lotus Database (Target database for cross-referencing; uses NPClassifyre ontology and requires standardized taxonomy)

Evaluation signals

• All rows in the resolved taxonomy columns match currently accepted names as confirmed by Open Tree of Life.
• OTOL_ID columns are populated with valid identifiers for ≥95% of resolved taxa; any unresolved names are flagged or logged.
• Mapping table shows no duplicate resolved names (i.e., multiple original names map to the same accepted name as expected for synonyms).
• Cleaned metadata schema matches GNPS format with MANDATORY headers (ATTRIBUTE_Species, ATTRIBUTE_Organe) present; no syntax errors in TSV.
• Literature Component and Class Component calculations downstream do not fail due to missing or malformed taxonomy fields.

Limitations

• Open Tree of Life may not recognize very recent species descriptions or highly specialized nomenclature; unresolvable names should be manually reviewed or excluded.
• API query rate limits or network latency may slow processing for large metadata tables with many unique taxa.
• Taxonomy standardization does not resolve environmental or sampling ambiguities (e.g. plants identified only to family level); quality of input taxonomy strings directly affects output quality.
• OTOL_ID linking is current as of the Open Tree of Life release date; downstream tools using different or older taxonomic references may not align perfectly.

Evidence

• [other] For each unique taxon name in each taxonomic rank, query the Open Tree of Life API to retrieve the current accepted name and taxon Open Tree of Life identifier (OTOL_ID).: "For each unique taxon name in each taxonomic rank, query the Open Tree of Life API to retrieve the current accepted name and taxon Open Tree of Life identifier (OTOL_ID)."
• [other] The species should be cleaned to up-to-day recognized names, you can use the Open Tree of Life to do so.: "The species should be cleaned to up-to-day recognized names, you can use the Open Tree of Life to do so (https://opentree.readthedocs.io/en/latest/readme.html)."
• [other] Taxonomy normalization is performed using the Open Tree of Life reference to convert sample taxonomy strings to currently recognized names, producing a cleaned taxonomy table required for Literature Component calculations.: "Taxonomy normalization is performed using the Open Tree of Life reference to convert sample taxonomy strings to currently recognized names, producing a cleaned taxonomy table required for Literature"
• [other] Replace the original taxonomy strings in the metadata table with resolved names and append OTOL_ID columns for each rank.: "Replace the original taxonomy strings in the metadata table with resolved names and append OTOL_ID columns for each rank."
• [other] given that the Lotus Dabase uses the NPClassifyre ontology and Sirius uses the Classifyre ontology, performing this step is absolutley necesary: "given that the Lotus Dabase uses the NPClassifyre ontology and Sirius uses the Classifyre ontology, performing this step is absolutley necesary"