Bubblegum coral collected in Alaska - Histology stain

This image is made through a process called histology, where we take sections of an organism (in this case a Bubblegum coral collected in Alaska) and stain them different colors so we can see different structures. The two round objects that are stained pink/red are eggs that are mature; the green round structure is an egg that is immature, so still needs to grow. Everything else is part of the structure of the coral – where you see small spaces or gaps is where calcium carbonate once was that helps the coral be firm and stand upright.