DINOFLAGELLATES
These critters are among the lab’s favourites. They exhibit many fascinating features and also lots of questions. Our research focuses mainly on their genes and genomes, in the context of the evolution of alveolates, the eukaryotic group dinoflagellates belong in.
DINOFLAGELLATE GENOME EVOLUTION
OXYRRHIS MARINA FUNCTIONAL GENOMICS
WHAT ARE DINOFLAGELLATES?
These protists are classified as ALVEOLATES, which is a large assortment of species divided in 3 groups: dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, and ciliates. We can see how these three groups are related in the diagram below:
There are several thousand described species of dinoflagellates. Collectively, they exhibit an enormous diversity of shapes. behaviours, modes of nutrition, and lifestyles. Many marine species are cosmopolitan whereas others tend to have a very restricted distribution. Some are very abundant and can produce sudden “blooms” with dramatic local effects such as colouration of the surface water, depletion of oxygen, and toxicity that result in massive death of fish and other animals. There are parasitic dinoflagellates that infect fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and even other protists (including dinoflagellates!). Symbiotic dinoflagellates have evolved to interact intimately with certain animals. Species of corals, jellyfish, and other invertebrates cannot exist without being “infected” by symbiotic dinoflagellates, which provide the animal with essential nutrients while receiving protection and a cozy environment. Finally, a few species of dinoflagellates possess a chemical system that generates light, a widely known phenomenon known as bioluminiscence.
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