Figure 3
From: Trophic ecology of glass sponge reefs in the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia
Late stages of particle capture by Aphrocallistes vastus. (a),(b) 0.1 µm beads (pseudocolored orange) were found in phagocytic vesicles below the primary reticulum. (c) Over time, phagocytic vesicles filled with undigested bacteria (pseudocolored pink) were visible slightly away from the flagellated chambers behind choanoblasts (chb) and far from the water pumping collar bodies (pseudocolored green). Eventually, packets of undigested bacteria were moved through the trabecular syncytium (t). (e),(f) Mucus- or membrane-bound clusters of beads gave evidence of fecal pellets from the sponge that are 1000 times greater volume than each bacterial particle consumed.
