Dinoflagellates are a diverse group of primarily marine, single-celled eukaryotic microorganisms within the Alveolata, studied as key topics in marine and freshwater ecology, biogeochemistry, and harmful algal bloom research. Characterized by two perpendicular flagella and thecal plates composed of cellulose in many species, they exhibit varied trophic modes, including autotrophy, heterotrophy, and mixotrophy. Dinoflagellates are major primary producers and symbionts (e.g., in corals) and produce a wide array of bioactive secondary metabolites, some of which are potent phycotoxins. Their complex genomes, unusual chromatin organization, and intricate life cycles make them important model systems in evolutionary cell biology and ecological genomics.
When most people think about corals, they imagine a tropical reef with crystal blue water, teeming with colorful fish. But, in the depths of the cold, murky Gulf of Maine, deep-sea corals thrive, feasting on a steady supply ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 20, 2026
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Harmful algal blooms continue to threaten coastal ecosystems and seafood safety worldwide. Among the organisms involved, the benthic dinoflagellate Prorocentrum lima is a known producer of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins ...
Ecology
Jan 29, 2026
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A microscopic organism linked to serious seafood-related illness has been detected for the first time in the waters of Hervey Bay and Gladstone. The findings are published in Harmful Algae. Joseph Perkins, a James Cook University ...
Ecology
Dec 2, 2025
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University of Hawai'i at Mānoa oceanographers have identified PelV-1, a dinoflagellate-infecting giant virus whose micron-length tail reaches 2.3 µm, stretching current notions of viral architecture.
