QFASA: A Comprehensive R Package for Diet Estimation via Fatty Acid Signature Analysis.

Area of Science:

• Marine biology
• Ecology
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• Quantitative fatty acid signature analysis (QFASA) is a robust method for estimating diets of marine mammals.
• The application of QFASA involves complex statistical tools that can be computationally intensive.
• Recent advancements have enhanced QFASA with sophisticated statistical frameworks and inference procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce the QFASA R package, a tool designed to streamline access to advanced QFASA methodologies.
• To provide a user-friendly platform for implementing cutting-edge statistical techniques in diet estimation.
• To facilitate the dissemination of new QFASA research and ensure consistent application of methods.

Main Methods:

• Development and presentation of the QFASA R package.
• Implementation of a maximum likelihood framework for diet estimation.
• Inclusion of statistical inference procedures like confidence intervals and hypothesis testing.
• Novel methods for estimating calibration coefficients to enhance accuracy.

Main Results:

• The QFASA R package offers a comprehensive suite of unique functions for diet estimation.
• The package includes user-friendly tools for applying advanced statistical QFASA methods.
• Sample data within the package demonstrates the application of key functions.

Conclusions:

• The QFASA R package democratizes access to sophisticated diet estimation tools for marine mammal research.
• Its user-friendly interface and broad functionality promote accurate and consistent application of QFASA.
• This package serves as a vital resource for biologists and statisticians collaborating on diet analysis.