Collonial radiolarians are mini photosynthesis hotspots in low-nutrient coastal and open-ocean regions. The colonies can grow to be a centimeter or more in diameter, and are often visible to the naked eye while swimming, snorkeling, or SCUBA diving. Colonial radiolarians usually host dinoflagellate symbionts, which they keep either in the colonial matrix or in their sticky pseudopodia. I collect colonial radiolarians by gently pushing them into glass jars while I am SCUBA diving and then I observe and image the radiolarians and their symbionts with light microscopy (Leica) and laser confocal microscopy (Zeiss LSM780). I stained this Collozoum serpentinum colony with fluorescent dyes that selectively stains DNA (Blue) and cell membranes (Green). The photosynthetic symbionts have chloroplasts, which auto-fluoresce red in these images.
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