Parasitic Life Styles of Marine Dinoflagellates1

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Several genera of marine dinoflagellates contain species that have evolved parasitic life styles. Dinoflagellate infections have been reported for a wide range of host organisms including sarcodines, ciliates, free-living dinoflagellates, various invertebrates, and a few vertebrates. Some dinoflagellates even parasitize other parasitic dinoflagellates. Most species are obligately parasitic and rely on heterotrophy as their sole means of nutrition; however, some are mixotrophic, as they possess chloroplasts during part or all of their ! t life cycle. Many are ectoparasites that use highly specialized structures to attach to their host and feed, while others are intracellular i parasites that feed by osmotrophy. Parasitic dinoflagellates often have adverse effects on their host that can lead to reproductive castration or death. The ecological importance of parasitic dinoflagellates is particularly evident during epidemic outbreaks that cause mass mortality of host organisms. Species that infect fish can pose threats to aquaculture, while other species can make commercially important 4 crustacea unpalatable. In the planktonic realm, parasitic dinoflagellates influence the structure and function of the microbial food web. They compete with copepods and other grazers by utilizing ciliates as hosts and can stimulate rapid recycling of nutrients by causing the decline of toxic and non-toxic red tides.

Fatty acid composition and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) content of the heterotrophic dinoflagellate Oxyrrhis marina fed on dried yeast: compared with algal prey

“…Dinoflagellates play diverse roles in the marine food web as primary producers, prey, predators, symbionts, and parasites (Muscatine 1990, Coats 1999, Jeong et al 2010, Lee et al 2014a, 2014b. In the last two decades, many phototrophic dinoflagellates that were previously thought to be exclusively autotrophic have been shown to be mixotrophic (Jacobson and Anderson 1996, Stoecker 1999, Jeong et al 2005, Lee et al 2014c.…”

Effects of two strains of the parasitic dinoflagellate Amoebophrya on growth, photosynthesis, light absorption, and quantum yield of bloom-forming dinoflagellates

“…Parasitic dinoflagellates have long been thought to have a significant influence on the ecology of bloomforming dinoflagellates (for review, see Coats 1999). Species of Amoebophrya are particularly noteworthy, as they are widely distributed in coastal environments and have been reported from numerous host species (Cachon 1964, Taylor 1968, Elbrächter 1973, Nishitani et al 1985, Cachon & Cachon 1987, Fritz & Nass 1992, Coats & Bockstahler 1994, Coats et al 1996.…”

“…Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisher mura et al 1995, Kamiyama 1997, Jeong et al 1999a,b, Matsuyama et al 1999, and eukaryotic parasites including fungi and certain flagellates (Taylor 1968, Bruning et al 1992, Coats 1999, Norén et al 1999, ErardLe Denn et al 2000 all have the potential to exert controlling influences on HAB species.…”

The Evolutionary Phylogeny of Oomycetes—Insights Gained from Studies of Holocarpic Parasites of Algae and Invertebrates

“…1.1b) perhaps even before the primary plastid acquisition event. Some present-day dinoflagellates are parasites of other chromalveolates and crustacea (Coats, 1999) and show that both parasitic and autotrophic lifestyles can coexist.…”