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Re: Oodinium
Oodinium addendum: Ok, dinoflagellates are/were in the algal phylum
Pyrrhophyta, so called since they are the cause of bioluminescence
in the ocean waves.
From http://cs.dal.ca/~irwin/zoe3.html :
The Dinoflagellates - Pyrrophyta
The dinoflagellates are the among the largest and most 'animal like' of
the algae. Although they photosynthesize, some of them are herbivores.
Many of the dinoflagellates are motile - moving themselves to the
nicest spots in the water column. They have two flagella that act as
their swimming appendages.
Some dinoflagellates are are bioluminescent - they give off light when
jostled. Some people speculate that this is a type of burglar alarm.
When the zooplankton try to eat the dinoflagellates they give off light
which alerts the zooplankton's predattors to thir position.
A number of dinoflagellates produce toxins. These toxins cause
paralytic shellfish poisoning as well as a number of other ailments.
Some dinoflagellates live within animals in a symbiotic relationship.
The symbiosis between the dinoflagellate and the giant clam is the
secret to its success!