What are facts about where a dinoflagellate can be found?

Dinoflagellates are single-cell organisms that can be found in streams, rivers, and freshwater ponds. 90% of all dinoflagellates are found living in the ocean. They are better referred to as algae and there are nearly 2000 known living species.

1. Where can noctiluca Scintillans be found?
2. Where are dinoflagellates most important?
3. When did dinoflagellates appear?
4. What are two interesting features of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca?
5. What is the economic importance of Noctiluca?
6. What does Noctiluca do when disturbed in the ocean?
7. Where is dinoflagellate found?
8. Where autotrophic dinoflagellates might be found?
9. Are dinoflagellates bioluminescent?
10. What is red tide in dinoflagellates?
11. Are dinoflagellates algae or protozoa?
12. Why does Noctiluca glow in the dark?
13. Which type of nutrition is found in Noctiluca?
14. Which of the following animals use bioluminescence to attract a prey?

Where can noctiluca Scintillans be found?

Noctiluca scintillans ranges from tropical oceans to northern seas. It is a cosmopolitan species, found in all seas of the world. The green form of N. scintillans is mainly found in the tropical waters of Southeast Asia, the Bay of Bengal, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Red Sea.

Where are dinoflagellates most important?

Dinoflagellates have been an important part of the marine phytoplankton since the mid-Mesozoic (Fig. 1) and represent the second largest primary producers in the world's oceans today, next to the diatoms. Whereas most are strictly marine, some dinoflagellates occupy brackish and freshwater environments.

When did dinoflagellates appear?

The first modern dinoflagellate was described by Baker in 1753, the first species was formally named by Muller in 1773. The first fossil forms were described by Ehrenberg in the 1830's from flint of Cretaceous age.

What are two interesting features of the dinoflagellate Noctiluca?

Distinguishing characteristics

Possess oral pouch, short flagellum and tentacle. Cytoplasm is mostly colourless, except for the presence of minute carotenoid globules around the periphery of the cell. Can cause spectacular bioluminescence.

What is the economic importance of Noctiluca?

P. noctiluca can reach extremely high numbers and in a bloom situation it can be an important predator of fish larvae, in particular anchovy. Hence it may play an important role in the planktonic food web with a possible impact on anchovy populations.

What does Noctiluca do when disturbed in the ocean?

Sea sparkle is a type of phytoplankton known as Noctiluca scintillans, a free floating algae-like species that can both photosynthesise like a plant, but also ingest particles of food like an animal. When disturbed they emit a blue glow.

Where is dinoflagellate found?

Dinoflagellates are single-cell organisms that can be found in streams, rivers, and freshwater ponds. 90% of all dinoflagellates are found living in the ocean. They are better referred to as algae and there are nearly 2000 known living species.

Where autotrophic dinoflagellates might be found?

Dinoflagellates occur ubiquitously in the oceans as planktonic forms and contribute substantially to the so-called “phosphorescence” commonly seen at night in summer when the water is disturbed.

Are dinoflagellates bioluminescent?

Bioluminescent dinoflagellates are a type of plankton—tiny marine organisms that can sometimes cause the surface of the ocean to sparkle at night. Some bioluminescent organisms do not synthesize luciferin. ... Bioluminescent dinoflagellates produce light using a luciferin-luciferase reaction.

What is red tide in dinoflagellates?

A red tide is a phenomenon of discoloration of sea surface. It is a common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions, which result from large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms, such as protozoans and unicellular algae (e.g. dinoflagellates and diatoms).

Are dinoflagellates algae or protozoa?

The chloroplasts of euglenophytes and dinoflagellates have been suggested to be the vestiges of endosymbiotic algae acquired during the process of evolution. However, the evolutionary positions of these organisms are still inconclusive, and they have been tentatively classified as both algae and protozoa.

Why does Noctiluca glow in the dark?

The Noctiluca algae, commonly known as sea tinkle, is a parasite and occurs in patches or 'blooms' in the Northern Arabian Sea. They glow at night due bioluminescence, and have earned them the nickname 'sea sparkle'.

Which type of nutrition is found in Noctiluca?

A flagellum and a tentacle, which emerge adjacent to the cytostome, aid in movement (primarily buoyancy control) and the capture of food. Noctiluca feeds on various minute marine organisms, including bacteria, copepods, and diatoms; it engulfs its victims through the cytostome in a form of phagocytosis.

Which of the following animals use bioluminescence to attract a prey?

Some fish dangle a lighted lure in front of their mouths to attract prey, while some squid shoot out bioluminescent liquid, instead of ink, to confuse their predators. Worms and tiny crustaceans also use bioluminescence to attract mates.