No war for oil?

"The biology of dinoflagellates" is a book edited by F.J.R. Taylor. The editor presumably doesn't regard the dinoflagellates as plants, yet his book is part of the series "Botanical monographs"!

Taylor self-ironically writes that pretty much nobody was interested in dinoflagellates when he started his research career: "For many years, dinoflagellates have languished as an obscure group among the miscellaneous collection of pigmented flagellates claimed by both botanists (as algae) and zoologists (as protozoans), but only desultorily treated by both". However, our editor started paying attention when one species of dinoflagellate killed all marine life in a bay of the Indian Ocean during a massive "red tide" that was also luminous at night! Clearly, the time had come to do some serious scientific research on this group of plankton.

The current volume is intended to provide a review of the general biology of living forms, with a summary of the fossil record and its applications also included. Dinoflagellates should be of considerable interest to evolutionary biologists, since they have a bizarre blend of "primitive" and "advanced" traits. Botanists see them as algae, since most dinoflagellates are photosynthetic. However, to zoologists they are protozoa. Many dinoflagellates are parasitic on fish and marine invertebrates. The toxicity and self-luminosity of some species make them extra fascinating (and somewhat spooky). The fossil cysts of these critters are used to date and correlate near shore marine sediments in regions of hydrocarbon exploration. Taylor claims that more dinoflagellate taxonomists can be found in the laboratories of petroleum companies than in academic institutions!

Unfortunately, this book is rather technical, although a complete dino-nerd might perhaps be able to read it from cover to cover. Chapters include: "Bioluminescence and circadian rhythms", "Dinoflagellate toxins", "Parasitic dinoflagellates" and "Dinoflagellate reproduction" (which turns out to be both sexual and asexual).

This book is too heavy for the general reader, but might come in handy if you want a well-paid job at Exxon-Mobil. Four stars.