Continued evolutionary surprises among dinoflagellates

Continued evolutionary surprises among dinoflagellates.

I t is well established that chloroplasts in green and red algae are derived from a primary endosymbiotic event between a cyanobacterium and a eukaryotic organism 1 billion years ago (Fig. 1; refs. 1 and 2). Although these two groups account for many of the world’s photosynthetic species, most other major taxonomic groups of photosynthetic organisms (stramenopiles—including diatoms, phaeophytes...

Rubisco surprises in dinoflagellates.

Dinoflagellates: a Remarkable Evolutionary Experiment1

In this paper, we focus on dinoflagellate ecology, toxin production, fossil record, and a molecular phylogenetic analysis of hosts and plastids. Of ecological interest are the swimming and feeding behavior, bioluminescence, and symbioses of dinoflagellates with corals. The many varieties of dinoflagellate toxins, their biological effects, and current knowledge of their origin are discussed. Kno...

Symbiodinium (pyrrhophyta) Genome Sizes (dna Content) Are Smallest among Dinoflagellates

Using flow cytometric analysis of fluorescence, we measured the genome sizes of 18 cultured ‘‘freeliving’’ species and 29 Symbiodinium spp. isolates cultured from stony corals, gorgonians, anemones, jellyfish, and giant clams. Genome size directly correlated with cell size, as documented previously for most eukaryotic cell lines. Among the smallest of dinoflagellates, Symbiodinium spp. (6–15mm)...

Among toxin-producing dinoflagellates of the genus Alexandrium, A. ostenfeldii

7 Instituto de Fomento Pesquero (IFOP), Enrique Abello 0552, Casilla 101, 8 Punta Arenas, Chile 9 Instituto de Investigaciones Marinas (IIM-CSIC), Eduardo Cabello 6, 36208, 10 Vigo, Spain 11 Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro Oceanográfico de Vigo, 12 Subida a Radio Faro 50, 36390, Vigo, Spain 13 Present address: Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Centro 14 Oceanográfico de V...