dinoflagellates
Kelly Smith
Bio1201 S013
25 February 2014
The Impact of Dinoflagellates
The Phylum Dinoflagellata is in the Kingdom Alvoelata. Previously belonging to Kingdom Protista but have since been broken up into different kingdoms ("What Are Dinoflagellates?"). Approximately 4500 species have been described and organized into 550 genera. Almost three quarters of the genera and more than half of the species are fossil. Around 1700 are marine and about 220 are living in freshwater. Their specie growth is skyrocketing, between 2000 and 2007 three new dinoflagellate families, 22 new genera, and 87 new species were described (Hoppenrath, 2012).
Many dinoflagellates are primary producers of food in the aquatic food webs (Faust, 2014). They use photosynthesis or the Sun for their energy. Although other dinoflagellates are heterotrophs and some are both! Most of them have protective cellulose plates that become encrusted with a hard, unreactive, colorless compound. Found in the plasma membrane are membrane bound sacs and commonly known as alveoli. The function of the alveoli is still unclear, scientists hypothesize that they help stabilize the surface of the cell and regulate water, ion content (“What Are Dinoflagellates?”). Uniquely, dinoflagellates have two flagella. One flagellum is around the cell, and the other directed to the back. They contain chlorophyll a and c, as well as other carotenoid and xanthophyll pigments. When dinoflagellates bloom, or overpopulate, they tend to change the water to a reddish brown color. Dinoflagellata are sometimes called Pyrrhophyta, meaning "fire plants". This is because some species are capable of bioluminescence, in which chemicals made by the organism produce light in a chemical reaction. These luminous dinoflagellates light up when disturbed (Speer, 1998).
Dinoflagellates are most often recognized by their flagella, located in grooves of cellulose plates surrounding the cell. These flagella are what give mobility to the protist. Motile
Bio1201 S013
25 February 2014
The Impact of Dinoflagellates
The Phylum Dinoflagellata is in the Kingdom Alvoelata. Previously belonging to Kingdom Protista but have since been broken up into different kingdoms ("What Are Dinoflagellates?"). Approximately 4500 species have been described and organized into 550 genera. Almost three quarters of the genera and more than half of the species are fossil. Around 1700 are marine and about 220 are living in freshwater. Their specie growth is skyrocketing, between 2000 and 2007 three new dinoflagellate families, 22 new genera, and 87 new species were described (Hoppenrath, 2012).
Many dinoflagellates are primary producers of food in the aquatic food webs (Faust, 2014). They use photosynthesis or the Sun for their energy. Although other dinoflagellates are heterotrophs and some are both! Most of them have protective cellulose plates that become encrusted with a hard, unreactive, colorless compound. Found in the plasma membrane are membrane bound sacs and commonly known as alveoli. The function of the alveoli is still unclear, scientists hypothesize that they help stabilize the surface of the cell and regulate water, ion content (“What Are Dinoflagellates?”). Uniquely, dinoflagellates have two flagella. One flagellum is around the cell, and the other directed to the back. They contain chlorophyll a and c, as well as other carotenoid and xanthophyll pigments. When dinoflagellates bloom, or overpopulate, they tend to change the water to a reddish brown color. Dinoflagellata are sometimes called Pyrrhophyta, meaning "fire plants". This is because some species are capable of bioluminescence, in which chemicals made by the organism produce light in a chemical reaction. These luminous dinoflagellates light up when disturbed (Speer, 1998).
Dinoflagellates are most often recognized by their flagella, located in grooves of cellulose plates surrounding the cell. These flagella are what give mobility to the protist. Motile
Cited: Faust, Maria. "Dinoflagellates." Dinoflagellates. Smithsonian Institution, 2014. Web. 25 Feb. 2014. <http://www.mnh.si.edu/highlight/sem/dinoflagellates.html>. Mona, Hoppenrath, and Juan F. Saldarriaga. "Dinoflagellates." Dinoflagellates. Th Tree Life Project, 15 Dec. 2012. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://tolweb.org/Dinoflagellates/2445#AboutThisPage>. Speer, Brian. "Dinoflagellata: Life History and Ecology." Life History and Ecology of the Dinoflagellata. N.p., 1998. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/dinoflaglh.html>. "What Are Dinoflagellates?" What Are Dinoflagellates? N.p., 2004. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. <http://jeevz.tripod.com/dinoflagellates/id1.html>.