"Scientists have hypothesized that dinoflagellates flash their lights as a kind of "burglar alarm" in response to predators, attracting the attention of other organisms that will eat the dinoflagellates' own enemies. So, no, they're not scaring away their predators. They are attracting the predators of their predators. This system of bioluminescence and the molecules underlying it has its parallels across a lot of other animals, including fireflies. And whether they are taking in light for photosynthesis or producing it through their own pathways, dinoflagellates have evolved their own mastery of illumination."
Journey to the Microcosmos- Dinoflagellates: The Algae That Saved an Astronaut
Images Originally Captured by Jam's Germs
Dinoflagellate 630x, Ceratium 400x, Ceratium 200x, Cymnodium 630x, Nusuttodinium aeruginosum 630x, Pyrocytis lunula 630x
