Abstract
SEM studies have demonstrated the absence of microbic and encruting forms of life on the surface of Bonellia viridis despite the fact that its environment is rich in such forms. As the main component of the pigment of B. viridis, bonellin, is highly toxic for both eukariotic and prokariotic organisms, it is suggested that this substance represents a chemical defence system.
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Communicated by B. Battaglia, Padova
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de Nicola Giudici, M. Defence mechanism of Bonellia viridis . Marine Biology 78, 271–273 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393013
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393013