Figure 8.

Representative SEM of induced plaques collected at (a) 0 min after first appearance of a secretion, showing a combination of granules reminiscent of the cuticle structure. Collagenous thread parts, which show ordering, were sectioned along with the plaque, since it is particularly hard to handle these soft secretions to separate plaque and thread. (b) At 30 min, structures resembling pores are appearing, surrounded by a dense nano-porous interior. Despite this evolution, the structure does not resemble the natural plaque. Scale bar, 10 µm.