Figure 2.

Enterotype might not always be stable

Simulated microbiota samples are indicated using dots, triangles, or squares with different shapes representing different patterns of microbiota composition that these samples initially contain. In the expected scenario, the simulated samples stay in the region of their original enterotypes during a long period of time ranging from 5 to 10 years (A–C). In the observed scenario, the microbiota composition of the simulated samples changes a lot over the time, so that most of them do not stay in the region of enterotypes where they originally belong (D–F).