Fig. 2

Stolonal structure of Hypophorella expansa. CLSM. a Overview using autofluorescence of a stolon. The proximal part of the stolon (lower side of the image) is thin and contains cuticular wrinkles. The distal part is widened to a capsule that also bears connections to adjacent zooids. b & c Optical sections of a stolon capsule in different planes. Staining for f-actin (glow), nuclei (blue) and acetylated alpha tubulin (green). d Volume rendering of a stolon capsule showing autofluorescence (grey) and f-actin (glow). e & f Optical sections of the same data set as shown in (d) in different section planes. Abbreviations: cc – cincture cell, cus – cuticular septum, lc – limiting cells, pp. – pore plates, sc – stolon capsule, som – stolonal transverse muscle, sp. – special cell, st – stolons, sw – stolonal wrinkles, yb – young bud