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Giulia Marchioro

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Micro images

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Zooxanthellae and the fluorescent chamber

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Zooxanthellae is the informal term for golden-brown algae (dinoflagellates) that live in symbiosis with corals. Corals produce a variety of green fluorescent protein (GFP)-like proteins to protect their symbiotic partners from harmful radiation, thus preserving their relationship. The image was taken using a confocal microscope (Zeiss LSM 780 at 64x) that allows for capturing autofluorescence from both host proteins (in green/blue in the coral epidermis) and the chlorophyll (in red) present in the zooxanthellae. Coral species: Echinopora lamellosa