Automated group assignment in large phylogenetic trees using GRUNT: GRouping, ungrouping, naming tool

Background: Accurate taxonomy is best maintained if species are arranged as hierarchical groups in phylogenetic trees. This is especially important as trees grow larger as a consequence of a rapidly expanding sequence database. Hierarchical group names are typically manually assigned in trees, an approach that becomes unfeasible for very large topologies. Results: We have developed an automated iterative procedure for delineating stable ( monophyletic) hierarchical groups to large ( or small) trees and naming those groups according to a set of sequentially applied rules. In addition, we have created an associated ungrouping tool for removing existing groups that do not meet user-defined criteria ( such as monophyly). The procedure is implemented in a program called GRUNT (GRouping, Ungrouping, Naming Tool) and has been applied to the current release of the Greengenes (Hugenholtz) 16S rRNA gene taxonomy comprising more than 130,000 taxa. Conclusion: GRUNT will facilitate researchers requiring comprehensive hierarchical grouping of large tree topologies in, for example, database curation, microarray design and pangenome assignments. The application is available at the greengenes website [ 1].