Fig. 4: SEM images of tissue damage of C. rubrum exposed to different microplastic concentrations and injured coral tissue colonized by bacterial cells.
From: Multiple impacts of microplastics can threaten marine habitat-forming species
a SEM images of the coral tissue exposed and not exposed to microplastics (Control) at the beginning (t0) and at the end of the experiment (tf, i.e., 14 days after the start of the experiment) and a close-up of coral tissues exposed to high concentration of microplastic particles at the end of the experiment (the blue arrow indicates damaged tissue; the yellow arrow indicates healthy tissue and the fuchsia arrow indicates one of the sclerites). Size scales are provided for each picture. b Average proportion of damaged tissue area of corals exposed to different microplastic concentrations after 7 and 14 days of treatment. At the start of the experiment (t0), tissue damage was not detectable in all specimens. Data are represented as mean ± standard deviation (n = 3). c On the left, SEM image of the coenenchyma without lesions in C. rubrum exposed to high concentration of microplastic particles and relative close-up of the tissue with evidence of the bacillus-like cells colonizing the tissue; on the right, coral tissue with lesions densely colonized by bacillus-like cells.
