EcoPlate Analyzer
A browser-based tool for analyzing Biolog EcoPlate data — the standard 96-well microplate used in Community-Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP) of microbial communities. Load experiment data, annotate it with metadata, filter across multiple dimensions, and run statistical tests — all without installing any software.
Load & Visualize
Import experiment data from the remote data repository. View the full 8×12 EcoPlate grid with optical density values displayed across all 31 carbon sources and 3 replicate sections. Annotate each section with bacteria, stressor, concentration, time, and repetition metadata.
Edit Records
Browse, modify, and delete loaded records. Update metadata fields or remove duplicates. All changes are reflected immediately across the filter and tests tabs.
Multi-Dimensional Filtering
Filter records by any combination of bacteria, stressor, concentration, time, blank status, and repetition. Export filtered results to CSV for further analysis in external tools.
Statistical Tests & Charts
Run AWCD (Average Well Color Development), SAWCD (Substrate Average Well Color Development), Shannon Diversity Index, and Shannon Evenness calculations. Visualize results with grouped bar and stacked percentage charts. Export charts as PNG or results as CSV.
Background: What Is EcoPlate Analysis?
The EcoPlate
A 96-well microplate containing 31 ecologically relevant carbon substrates (carbohydrates, amino acids, carboxylic acids, polymers, amines, phenolics) plus a water control — all in triplicate. Developed by Biolog Inc. and used in over 1,400 published studies since the 1990s.
Community-Level Physiological Profiling (CLPP)
A soil or water sample is inoculated into the plate. As microbial communities metabolize each carbon source, a tetrazolium dye turns purple — measurable at 590 nm. The pattern of color development across 31 substrates creates a "metabolic fingerprint" of the community's functional diversity.
Key Metrics
AWCD (Average Well Color Development) — overall metabolic activity. SAWCD — activity per substrate group. Shannon Index (H) — functional diversity: H = −∑(pi · ln pi). Shannon Evenness — how uniformly substrates are used: E = H / ln(S). These indices reveal how diverse, active, and balanced a microbial community is.
Two-Wavelength Correction
Raw plates are read at both 590 nm (metabolic color) and 720 nm (turbidity baseline). The difference (OD590 − OD720) isolates the true metabolic signal. This corrected value is what the analyzer works with, split across three replicate sections of 8 rows × 4 columns each.
Learning Materials
From official protocols to statistical methods — resources for understanding EcoPlate analysis at every level. Scroll to browse all slides.
Where to Get EcoPlate Data
If you don't have your own experiment data, several public repositories host open EcoPlate datasets that you can download and convert for use with this analyzer.
JaLTER — 74 Forest Sites, Japan
Largest open EcoPlate dataset: 74 planted forest sites (114 plots) across Japan from cool-temperate to subtropical. Raw absorbance for all 31 substrates plus soil properties (pH, C, N, water content). Published 2025 in Ecological Research.
View datasetFigshare — Lake Zurich EcoPlate
OD measurements of carbon source consumption in EcoPlates inoculated with water from Lake Zurich. Three sampling campaigns (Sep–Nov 2021) with OD595, corrected OD, and binary consumption data. Used in cyanobacterial bloom dispersal research.
View datasetMDPI — Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Effect
EcoPlate data assessing ZnO and TiO2 nanoparticle effects on freshwater microbial communities. Supplementary tables with AWCD, Shannon, Simpson, Gini indices at multiple concentrations (0.8–100 mg/L).
View article & dataMendeley — Wetland Microbial Communities
Raw EcoPlate data from water, rhizosphere, and rhizoplane microbial communities in lab-scale wetland mesocosms. Includes DGGE analysis and water chemistry data. Phosphorus loading effects.
View datasetUSGS — Stones River Soil CLPP
AWCD and Shannon diversity data from 120 sampling points across 12 limestone cedar glades at Stones River National Battlefield, Tennessee. Seasonal sampling (2012–2013). GIS shapefile format with spatial coordinates.
View datasetFigshare — Gull Colony Soil Samples
Raw EcoPlate readouts from soil at a mixed gull colony on Texel Island. PCA analysis scripts included. Seasonal sampling (Jun–Oct) across nest types. SPECTROstar Nano reader.
View datasetFigshare — Substrate Utilization
Per-substrate results showing the number of isolates that utilized each EcoPlate carbon source, with Bloomberg K-statistics for phylogenetic analysis. Processed data, not raw OD.
View datasetPMC — Forest Types & Antibiotics
Changes in soil microbial community profiles in relation to forest types and presence of antibiotics. Published 2024, open access on PubMed Central. CLPP with all 31 carbon substrates.
View articleData format: This analyzer expects experiment data as XLSX files with two wavelength readings (590 nm and 720 nm) in an 8×12 grid layout. The difference (OD590 − OD720) is computed and split into three 8×4 matrices corresponding to the three EcoPlate replicate sections. See the EcoPlate-Data repository for the conversion pipeline and expected file structure.