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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Nov 3.
Published in final edited form as: Annu Rev Mater Res. 2011 Aug 1;41:99–132. doi: 10.1146/annurev-matsci-062910-100429

Figure 4.

Figure 4

The ultrastructure of a byssal adhesive plaque. (a) A byssated mussel showing the orientation of the sampled adhesive plaque (red). (b) Microscopic, reflected light image of a single attached plaque of Mytilus californianus. The underlying foam-like structure causes the light-scattering effect (white). The purple dashed line indicates the position of the freeze fracture. (c) Scanning electron microscope view of a freeze-fractured plaque illustrating the cuticle (Cut), the collagen fibers (Col) from the core, and the foam (Fo). (d) An enlargement of the foam-like structure shown in the blue boxed region in panel c. (e) The interfacial region between the plaque and the substratum shown in the yellow boxed region in panel c. A number of pillars (arrows) remain intact despite partial plaque delamination due to drying.