Dinoflagellates are unicellular marine plankton with diverse locomotion and bioluminescence capabilities. They can be parasitic or symbiotic and are an important food source for marine animals. Dinoflagellate blooms can cause red tides and produce toxins that can be harmful to humans.
Dinoflagellates are a large group of unicellular organisms belonging to the kingdom Protista. The vast majority of dinoflagellates are marine plankton. Other dinoflagellates live in freshwater bodies such as lakes and ponds. Some live as parasites on marine invertebrates such as jellyfish, corals, and even other protists.
As a group, the dinoflagellates are diverse, with most being microscopic in size and at least one variety, Noctiluca, approaching a relatively huge 2 millimeters in diameter.
Dinoflagellates locomote by means of two flagella: the longitudinal flagellum, which points rearwards, and the transverse flagellum, which curves around the body of the organism. The two flails work separately, the first acting mainly as a rudder and the second as a propeller.
Some dinoflagellates are bioluminescent, meaning they are capable of producing their own light. This phenomenon occurs as a result of a chemical reaction that takes place within the body, involving the compounds luciferin and luciferase. The effect is no different from the light produced by a firefly. Because of this ability to glow, dinoflagellates are also sometimes referred to as pyrrophyta or “fire plants.” An example of the bioluminescent variety of dinoflagellates is the Noctiluca, whose name means “night light”.
Although some dinoflagellates are parasitic, many are able to photosynthesize their food via chloroplasts. In turn, dinoflagellates are an important food source for other marine animals. In some cases, the relationship between dinoflagellates and their host organism is symbiotic. In these symbiotic relationships, the host incorporates dinoflagellates into itself without harming either organism, and both benefit from the nutrients they receive from each other. There are a few species of coral reefs whose structures largely depend on the dinoflagellates dispensed within them.
En masse, dinoflagellates are capable of producing quantities of potent toxins, which can have neurological and other, sometimes fatal, consequences when consumed by humans. Human consumption generally does not occur directly, but as a result of eating shellfish or other seafood contaminated with toxins.
Seasonally warm coastal waters promote an annual bloom of dinoflagellates, which can discolor the water as the organisms proliferate. This is known as a “red tide”. Depending on the dinoflagellate species, a red tide can be extremely dangerous to local crustaceans and other marine life. This is due to the high levels of toxins produced by the masses of dinoflagellates. Humans who consume contaminated shellfish and seafood run the risk of contracting diseases such as paralytic shellfish poisoning or ciguatera. For this reason, conventional wisdom says shellfish should only be eaten in months with an R, i.e. the coldest months.
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