Fig. 1

Bacterial recolonization dynamics of germfree polyps and silicone tubes. A, B Experimental setup for recolonization of A adult polyps and B silicone tubes. Samples were taken from the inocula and 2, 7, 14, and 28 days post recolonization. C, D Principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) based on the Bray–Curtis dissimilarity for the recolonization of C polyps and D tubes. E, F Chao1 measure for the recolonization experiment of E polyps and F tubes. The chao1 measure of the inocula is shown on the left side, while the change of the chao1 measure over time is shown on the right. The different time points of the recolonization are color-coded, while the developmental stage from the source of the inoculum is shape-coded. bL = bacteria of Larvae, bJ = bacteria of Juveniles, bA = bacteria of Adults, dpr = days post recolonization