Fig. 1
From: Tiny microbes, enormous impacts: what matters in gut microbiome studies?
PCoA differences in PCR primers can outweigh differences among individuals within one body site, but not the differences between different body sites. In the Human Microbiome Project (HMP) dataset, when V1-3 and V3-5 primers are combined across body sites, a the effect of PCR primers is small compared to b the effect of body site. However, if we analyze individual body sites such as c the mouth or d the mouth subsites, the effect of primer is much greater than the difference between different individuals (or even of different locations within the mouth) at that specific body site. GI gastrointestinal