# metaTraits: a large-scale integration of microbial phenotypic trait information

## TL;DR

metaTraits is a comprehensive database that integrates microbial phenotypic traits from various sources, making it easier to study and analyze microbiomes.

## Contribution

metaTraits unifies and standardizes microbial trait data from multiple databases and includes genome-based predictions for uncultured taxa.

## Key findings

- metaTraits integrates over 2.2 million genomes and more than 140 harmonized traits mapped to standardized ontologies.
- The database includes traits like cell morphology, physiology, and environmental preferences, linked to original evidence and taxonomies.
- An interactive website provides tools for searching, visualizing, and annotating user-submitted genomes or community profiles.

## Abstract

Microbes differ greatly in their organismal structure, physiology, and environmental adaptation, yet information about these phenotypic traits is dispersed across multiple databases and is largely unavailable for taxa that remain uncultured. Here, we present metaTraits, a unified and accessible trait resource that integrates culture-derived trait information from BacDive, BV-BRC, JGI IMG, and GOLD with genome-based predictions for medium and high-quality isolate and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from proGenomes and SPIRE. metaTraits covers over 2.2 million genomes and >140 harmonized traits mapped to standardized ontologies, spanning cell morphology (e.g. shape, size, and Gram staining), physiology (e.g. motility and sporulation), metabolic and enzymatic activities, environmental preferences (e.g. temperature, salinity, and oxygen tolerance), and lifestyle categories. All records are linked to the original evidence, and species are cross-linked to NCBI and GTDB taxonomies. The interactive metaTraits website provides search and visualization tools, taxonomy-level summaries, and two workflows for annotating user-submitted genomes or community profiles. metaTraits substantially advances accessibility and interoperability of microbial trait data, enabling comprehensive trait-based analyses of microbiomes across diverse environments. metaTraits is accessible via https://metatraits.embl.de.

Graphical Abstract