Dinoflagellate

A Dinoflagellate is a single-celled eukaryote that belong to the phylum Dinoflagellata.

• Context:
  • It can be considered algae.
  • It can be found in marine planktons and freshwater habitats.
  • It can photosynthesize using chlorophyll as well as with ingestion of phagotrophy and myzocytosis.
  • It can cause algal blooms ("red tides").
  • …
• Example(s):
  • Gonyaulax Catenella,
  • Karenia Brevis,
  • Noctiluca Scintillans,
  • Zooxanthellae,
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Amoebas,
  • Ciliates,
  • Cyanobacteria,
  • Diatom,
  • Euglenoids.
• See: Polyether, Bioluminescence, Triassic, Psammosea, Oxyrrhea, Pronoctilucea, Duboscquellea, Syndiniophyceae, Dinophyceae, Aquatic Ecosystem.

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References

2023

• (ChatGPT-OpenAI, 2023) ⇒ https://chat.openai.com/chat Retrieved: 2023-03-12.
  • Question: what is a Dinoflagellate?

    Answer:Dinoflagellates are a group of single-celled microorganisms that belong to the phylum Dinoflagellata. They are a diverse group of aquatic protists that are found in marine and freshwater environments, as well as in soil and symbiotically in other organisms.

    Dinoflagellates are known for their unique structure and characteristics, which include a two-part cell wall made of cellulose plates, two flagella, and the ability to photosynthesize using chlorophyll a and other pigments. Some dinoflagellates are also capable of bioluminescence, producing a blue-green light when disturbed.

    Dinoflagellates play an important role in aquatic ecosystems as primary producers, and they are also a major component of planktonic communities. However, some species of dinoflagellates can cause harmful algal blooms, also known as “red tides," which can have negative impacts on marine life and human health.

2020

• (Wikipedia, 2020) ⇒ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/dinoflagellate Retrieved:2020-9-6.
  • The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος dinos "whirling" and Latin flagellum "whip, scourge") are single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata. Usually considered algae, dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they also are common in freshwater habitats. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth. Many dinoflagellates are known to be photosynthetic, but a large fraction of these are in fact mixotrophic, combining photosynthesis with ingestion of prey (phagotrophy and myzocytosis).

    In terms of number of species, dinoflagellates are one of the largest groups of marine eukaryotes, although this group is substantially smaller than diatoms. Some species are endosymbionts of marine animals and play an important part in the biology of coral reefs. Other dinoflagellates are unpigmented predators on other protozoa, and a few forms are parasitic (for example, Oodinium and Pfiesteria). Some dinoflagellates produce resting stages, called dinoflagellate cysts or dinocysts, as part of their lifecycles, and is known from 84 of the 350 described freshwater species, and from a little more than 10% of the known marine species. Dinoflagellates are alveolates possessing two flagella, the ancestral condition of bikonts.

    About 1,555 species of free-living marine dinoflagellates are currently described. Another estimate suggests about 2,000 living species, of which more than 1,700 are marine (free-living, as well as benthic) and about 220 are from fresh water. The latest estimates suggest a total of 2,294 living dinoflagellate species, which includes marine, freshwater, and parasitic dinoflagellates.

    A rapid accumulation of certain dinoflagellates can result in a visible coloration of the water, colloquially known as red tide (a harmful algal bloom), which can cause shellfish poisoning if humans eat contaminated shellfish. Some dinoflagellates also exhibit bioluminescence—primarily emitting blue-green light. Thus, some parts of the Indian Ocean light up at night giving blue-green light.

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