Question

Ceratium is a
A) Dinoflagellate
B) Diatom
C) Slime mold
D) Sporozoan

Answer 1

Hint:Ceratium is a small genus containing 7 species of unicellular planktons that are responsible for red tides which is a worldwide concern of the oceans. They contained several marine dinoflagellates species before but now they have been assigned a new genus named Tripos.

Complete answer:
Ceratium is a genus of a small number of dinoflagellates species which are characterized by their armored plates, two flagella, and horns. They are known for producing red tides in the ocean probably due to human impacts. Moreover, these red tides kill fishes in the ocean which washes up on beaches. They play an important role at the base of the food webs by acting as a source of nutrients for larger organisms.

Additional Information:
Diatoms are a group of algae found in oceans, waterways, and soil and make a great portion of the Earth's biomass by generating about 20% to 50% of the oxygen produced on the planet. The silicon released by them constitutes nearly half of the organic material found in oceans. They are unicellular and generally live in colonies and have significant usage in industrial and forensic fields.

Slime molds are free single-celled organisms and are grouped within the paraphyletic group Protista. These are Gelatinous slimy structures that feed on microorganisms that live in any type of dead plant material.

Sporozoans, known as Apicomplexa are parasitic alveolates that possess a unique form of organelle that comprises a type of plastid called apicoplast and an apical complex structure. These are unicellular and spore-forming and mainly obligate endoparasites of animals. Flagella or pseudopods are present for locomotion.

Hence, the correct answer is option ‘A’ i.e, “dinoflagellates”.

Note:Ceratium possesses similar characteristics of dinoflagellates therefore can be easily identified as a part of it. The genus contains 7 species of dinoflagellates. Dinoflagellates are unicellular, mostly marine planktons which possess two dissimilar flagella arising from the ventral cell side. They have complex cell covering known as emphysema or cortex.