The Relation between Dinoflagellates and the Bioluminescence of Sea Water

INTRODUCTION Dinoflagellates have often been held responsible for a large part of the phosphorescence of the surface waters of the sea. In temperate waters, dinoflagellates are seldom the most abundant constituents of the phytoplankton, and until recently little experimental evidence has been available to support this assertion. Until recently there have been few careful attempts to determine which particular species of dinoflagellates are luminescent, or to relate total luminescence to numbers of dinoflagellates present.