Dinoflagellates

Dinoflagellates are protists, and most of them are single-celled organisms found across the whole range of marine conditions, from polar and tropical seas to hypersaline, coastal, estuarine and open-ocean waters. Around 2,377 species have been identified, showing wide variation in form, size, chemical makeup and physiology. Most drift freely in the water and make their food by photosynthesis. Some live in partnership with corals, as with Symbiodinium, and a small number are parasites.

The book examines dinoflagellate evolutionary relationships using recent molecular biology, and compares their pigments with those of other microalgae. It reviews their carbon uptake, which is low relative to other microalgae, and gives an extended account of mixotrophy, a feeding strategy that appears common among them. Laboratory culture methods are described as a way to model natural blooms and study their physiology, biochemistry and production of phycotoxins. Drawing on decades of research data, the book also covers how these organisms spread through ocean currents, ballast water discharge and shifting climate.

About 70 dinoflagellate species cause short-lived harmful algal blooms (HABs), which are becoming more frequent worldwide. Case studies describe the toxins these species produce, including those responsible for paralytic, diarrhetic, amnesic, ciguatera and neurotoxic shellfish and fish poisoning. The text assesses the risks these toxins pose to human health and the economic damage from fish kills, estimated at $50 million in the United States. Genomic methods are presented in relation to toxin production, and remediation options for managing blooms in aquaculture are discussed.

The volume is richly illustrated with drawings, microphotographs and colour photographs. It is intended for researchers, scientists, environmental managers and undergraduate and graduate students who need detailed coverage of current questions, ideas and techniques in dinoflagellate research.