This paper first reviews the concept of functional diversity in general terms and then applies
it to free-living aquatic ciliates. Ciliates are extremely versatile organisms and display an …

Arranging organisms into functional groups aids ecological research by grouping organisms
(irrespective of phylogenetic origin) that interact with environmental factors in similar ways …

Analysis of trait trade-offs, through which physiological traits requiring common resources
are 'traded'to optimize competitive advantage, provides a route to simplify and more readily …

Microalgae fuel food webs and biogeochemical cycles of key elements in the ocean. What
determines microalgal dominance in the ocean is a long-standing question. Red tide …

Red tides–discolorations of the sea surface due to dense plankton blooms–occur regularly
in coastal and offshore waters along much of the world's coastline. Red tides often cause …

Functional ecology is a subdiscipline that aims to enable a mechanistic understanding of
patterns and processes from the organismic to the ecosystem level. This paper addresses …

The dinoflagellate Alexandrium spp. have received much attention due to their harmful
effects on diverse marine organisms, including commercially important species. For …

Exploring mixotrophy of dinoflagellate species is critical to understanding red-tide dynamics
and dinoflagellate evolution. Some species in the dinoflagellate genus Karenia have caused …

Takayama spp. are phototrophic dinoflagellates belonging to the family Kareniaceae and
have caused fish kills in several countries. Understanding their trophic mode and …

It remains unclear as to how mixoplankton (coupled phototrophy and phagotrophy in one
cell) affects the estimation of grazing rates obtained from the widely used dilution grazing …