Margalefidinium polykrikoides

This student page has not been curated.

Legend. Image credit: Name or Publication.

Classification

Higher Order Taxa

Eukaryota; Sar; Alveolata; Dinophyceae; Gymnodiniales; Gymnodiniaceae

Species

Margalefidinium polykrikoides
Previously known as Cochlodinium polykrikoides.

Description and Significance

M. polykrikoides is a cyst-forming, photosynthetic, and mixotrophic marine dinoflagellate (Lopez-Cortes et al 2019). The genus Cochlodinium was established in the late nineteenth century, and C. polykrikoides was recently reassigned to the genus Margalefidinium (Lopez-Cortes et al 2019). Since they are unicellular eukaryotes, they have a small cell size of 10-100µm and an extremely large genome (Hong et al 2016).

Genome Structure

M. Polykrikoides is ranked as the 5th largest among dinoflagellates, with a nuclear genome size estimated between 100.97 Gb -110.54 Gb via flow cytometry (Hong et al 2016). Increased amounts of gene copies, repetitive sequences, and multiple noncoding DNA elements (pseudogenes etc.) may be responsible for this extremely large genome as well as their complex physiological and metabolic characteristics (Hong et al 2016).

Cell Structure, Metabolism and Life Cycle

Interesting features of cell structure; how it gains energy; what important molecules it produces.

Ecology and Pathogenesis

Habitat; symbiosis; biogeochemical significance; contributions to environment.

If relevant, how does this organism cause disease? Human, animal, plant hosts? Virulence factors, as well as patient symptoms.

References

[Sample reference] Takai, K., Sugai, A., Itoh, T., and Horikoshi, K. "Palaeococcus ferrophilus gen. nov., sp. nov., a barophilic, hyperthermophilic archaeon from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent chimney". International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. 2000. Volume 50. p. 489-500.

Author

Page authored by Nina McVay, student of Prof. Bradley Tolar at UNC Wilmington.