Toxic dinoflagellates can directly harm other organisms during bloom periods by secreting their toxins in the water or by being consumed and concentrated in the tissues of filter-feeding organisms. Can you think of ways in which blooms of non-toxic dinoflagellates may harm other organisms in the water?

What will be an ideal response?


A bloom of non-toxic dinoflagellates can cause a serious reduction in the nutrients available for other autotrophic organisms in the area of the bloom. Once these dinoflagellates deplete the nutrients in the water, they die and are decomposed by microbes. This decomposition can lead to the depletion of oxygen in the water column, which can harm other organisms. Finally, a bloom of non-toxic dinoflagellates can reduce the clarity of the water column, leading to the reduction in the amount of available light to benthic photosynthesizers.

Biology & Microbiology

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A) learning B) common sense C) an instinct D) a reflex

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Biology & Microbiology