NEXTSEM of a nematode caught in the constricting rings of Arthrobotrys anchonia.
This material was fixed within minutes of capture. The rings have inflated over the body of the nematode but they have not yet built up enough osmotic pressure to crush the body. It appears to me that the mechanism of action of the CR is a two stage process. At the moment of capture the ring cells expand to three times their volume in 1/10th sec and the osmotic pressure of these cells is 1/3 normal (stage 1). At this time the ring cannot crush the nematode's body. The OP of the ring cells recovers rapidly to its normal value and the nematode is now crushed (stage 2) and subsequently parasitized.