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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Shade" data-source="post: 5412362" data-attributes="member: 287">DINOFLAGELLATESThe dinoflagellates are a very peculiar group of one-celled organisms which are generally classified with the plants. Most of them are capable of engulfing food particles, however, and some have completely lost their brown pigment and survive only by scavenging or predation.Among the things which unite the group, one of the most striking is the presence of two thin whiplike organs, or flagella. One rings the central body of the organism like a belt, and is equipped with numerous tiny hairs which beat constantly. The other is long and slender, extending far beyond the organism’s posterior, and beats in a wavelike motion. The combined action of the flagella causes the cell to spin on its axis while moving rapidly through the water.In many members of the group, reproduction is triggered by an environmental change (generally a decrease in nutrients, light intensity, or temperature). The swimming cells pair off, fuse, and form spiny, thick-walled cysts that settle to the bottom of whatever body of water they inhabit.  After an appropriate period of dormancy (generally a few months, but as much as a few years), environmental changes of the opposite sort will trigger the release of the cysts’ contents, which then grow flagella, begin dividing, and start the life cycle anew. A clever (and powerful) magic-user could exploit this life cycle by artificially inducing cyst formation (using a cold- or darkness-causing spell, for example). In the cyst stage, the cells can be removed from the water and transported for considerable distances.Three of the four types of dinoflagellates listed here form cysts (Peridinium, Ceratium, and Gonyaulax). Another interesting property of some dinoflagellates is bioluminescence. They give off light which is concentrated into a brilliant flash, used to startle potential predators (and, in this context, unwary adventurers). One cell is capable of producing a flash every 5-10 melee rounds. Peridinium, Gonyaulax, and Noctiluca all are capable of producing such flashes, with those produced by Noctiluca being particularly potent.</blockquote>

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