Give five features of dinoflagellates and their impact on marine ecosystem
Answers
Explanation:
1. The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος dinos "whirling" and Latin flagellum "whip, scourge") are single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellates.
2. Usually considered algae, dinoflagellates are mostly marine plankton, but they also are common in freshwater habitats.
3. Their populations are distributed depending on sea surface temperature, salinity, or depth.
4. Many dinoflagellates are known to be photosynthetic.
5. A large fraction of these are in fact mixotrophic, combining photosynthesis with ingestion of prey (phagotrophy and myzocytosis).
impact on marine ecosystem:
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.