Dinoflagellates

Abstract

Dinoflagellates (=whirling whips) are ubiquitous unicellular organisms of the aquatic ecosystems and second only to diatoms as marine primary producers. Of the ~2000 living species, 85% are marine and about 11% freshwater forms (Taylor et al. 2008). Almost half of the total species are either photosynthetic or exclusively heterotrophic (Gaines and Elbrächter 1987), hence, making them an important member of both marine and freshwater phytoplankton and zooplankton ecosystems.