Figure 3.

Boxplots showing different alpha diversity measures within the preterm group (PTB) across different trimesters (T1, T2, and T3)

Alpha diversity measures were significantly altered in PTB group for (A) Chao 1 Index (p value = 0.024) (B) Shannon index (p value = 0.0045), and (C) Simpson index (p value = 0.0053). The alpha diversity index was represented by box-and-whisker plot where the box indicates the interquartile range (IQR). The median value is represented as a line within the box and whiskers extend to the extreme (highest and lowest) value that is within 1.5∗IQR.