''Gambierdiscus carolinianus'' is a species of toxic
dinoflagellate
The dinoflagellates (Greek δῖνος ''dinos'' "whirling" and Latin ''flagellum'' "whip, scourge") are a monophyletic group of single-celled eukaryotes constituting the phylum Dinoflagellata and are usually considered algae. Dinoflagellates are ...
, which among others causes
ciguatera fish poisoning
Ciguatera fish poisoning (CFP), also known simply as ciguatera, is a foodborne illness caused by eating reef fish whose flesh is contaminated with certain toxins. Such individual fish are said to be ciguatoxic. Symptoms may include diarrhea, vomi ...
. It is
photosynthetic
Photosynthesis is a process used by plants and other organisms to convert light energy into chemical energy that, through cellular respiration, can later be released to fuel the organism's activities. Some of this chemical energy is stored in c ...
and
epibenthic
Benthos (), also known as benthon, is the community of organisms that live on, in, or near the bottom of a sea, river, lake, or stream, also known as the benthic zone.
References
Further reading
*Kibler, Steven R., et al. "Growth of eight Gambierdiscus (Dinophyceae) species: Effects of temperature, salinity and irradiance." Harmful Algae 19 (2012): 1-14.
*Vandersea, Mark W., et al. "Development of semi‐quantitative pcr assays for the detection and enumeration of gambierdiscus species (gonyaulacales, dinophyceae) 1." Journal of phycology 48.4 (2012): 902-915.