Figure 1: Rates of gene and OTU discovery from HMP taxonomic and metagenomic data.
a–c, Accumulation curves for OTU counts from 16S data (all body sites) (a), clustered gene index counts from metagenomic data (all applicable body sites) (b) and the ratio of average unique genes contributed versus unique OTUs encountered with increasing sample counts (c) (Supplementary Information). L, left; R, right. Ratios given for each curve in c represent the average number of unique genes contributed per unique OTU at the final sample count. Curves for stool, buccal mucosa and anterior nares suggest that the proportion of gene-to-taxa discovery has stabilized. In contrast, the curve for supragingival plaque suggests that relatively fewer new genes are being contributed per additional OTU. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals.