Dinoflagellates

2009-02-20T01:39:00.000-08:00

Dinoflagellates are unicellular protists which exhibit a great diversity of form. The largest, Noctiluca, may be as large as 2 mm in diameter! Though not large by human standards, these creatures often have a big impact on the environment around them. Many are photosynthetic, manufacturing their own food using the energy from sunlight, and providing a food source for other organisms. Some species are capable of producing their own light through bioluminescence, which also makes fireflies glow. There are some dinoflagellates which are parasites on fish or on other protists.

The most dramatic effect of dinoflagellates on life around them comes from the coastal marine species which "bloom" during the warm months of summer. These species reproduce in such great numbers that the water may appear golden or red, producing a "red tide". When this happens many kinds of marine life suffer, for the dinoflagellates produce a neurotoxin which affects muscle function in susceptible organisms. Humans may also be affected by eating fish or shellfish containing the toxins. The resulting diseases include ciguatera (from eating affected fish) and paralytic shellfish poisoning, or PSP (from eating affected shellfish, such as clams, mussels, and oysters); they can be serious but are not usually fatal.(http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/protista/dinoflagellata.html)

Coral Reef

2008-11-26T20:17:00.000-08:00

Under the horizon they live

They keep a simple colored reef;

Corals blend their colors

To make a home t'was neat;

Fishes swim back n forth

yet jellies bump for some more;

Below the sea they live

with a peaceful harmony they give;

A place for them to live,

and a view for us to see

the beauty what is beneath.

-Jeremy

Under The Sea

Dinoflagellates

Coral Reef