Question

Choose the correct answer from the alternatives given:
Which one of the following protists is known as whirling whips because of the spin produced by two flagella beating in opposing grooves along their hard surfaced bodies?
(A)Diatoms
(B)Chrysophytes
(C)Dinoflagellates
(D)None of the above

Answer 1

Hint:These species sometimes multiply rapidly, resulting in population explosions or blooms. It may cause fatal or non-fatal illness in various other species eating contaminated fish including humans.

Complete answer
Diatoms are the group of algae found in oceans and other water bodies. They lack cilia or flagella. The chrysophytes are unicellular marine or freshwater algae often referred to as golden brown algae. They have a flagellum that allows them to move in water.
Dinoflagellates are unicellular protists that show a great variety of forms. Dinoflagellates usually have two flagella and they exhibit unusual spinning action along their hard coated bodies due to the presence of two flagella beating in their opposite grooves. That is why dinoflagellates are called whirling whips. One of the flagella wraps like a belt around the transverse groove, and the other flagella extends behind the cell, which are located in the longitudinal groove, perpendicular to the transverse groove.

Additional Information:
1. Many are photosynthetic, growing their own food using the sunlight, and supplying other animals with food.
2. Some species are capable of producing their own light through bioluminescence, which also makes fireflies glow.
3. Dinoflagellates' most dramatic impact on life around them comes from the coastal marine species which "bloom" during the warm summer months.

Hence, the correct answer is Dinoflagellates.

Note:These species reproduce in such huge numbers that the water can look red or yellow, causing a "red tide." Several species of marine life suffer from this, as the dinoflagellates develop a neurotoxin that affects the muscle function of susceptible species. Eating food that carries the toxins can also affect humans.