Figure 6: Relative stability of dolphin-associated microbial communities.
From: Marine mammals harbor unique microbiotas shaped by and yet distinct from the sea

(a) Oral communities, (b) gastric communities and (c) rectal communities. NMDS Bray–Curtis ordination of PS reads for each body site individually for the seven dolphins sampled monthly for 5 or 6 months. Six of these were sampled 3 years later as well (open circles). For each of the three body sites, intra-individual specimens were significantly more similar than interindividual specimens during the monthly sampling period (P<0.001, Mantel test). This heightened intra-individual similarity decayed or disappeared entirely at three years, although conclusions are limited by the small number of animals.