Dinoflagellate : Gonyaulax

Dinoflagellates are unicellular organisms, 90% of which live in the sea and others in fresh or brackish water. They are known from polar, temperate and tropical waters.

Most are covered with "armour" and the bizarre and often beautiful ornamentation is specific to each species. This armour consists of polygonal plates which comprise the upper and lower halves of the organism and unlike diatoms where the cell wall is made of silica, the dinoflagellate cell wall is made of a polysaccharide. It is thought that the elaborate ornamentation of the armour increases the surface area to volume ratio enabling more efficient uptake of nutrients from the surrounding water

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