SMALL-SUBUNIT RIBOSOMAL-RNA SEQUENCES FROM SELECTED DINOFLAGELLATES -TESTING CLASSICAL EVOLUTIONARY HYPOTHESES WITH MOLECULAR SYSTEMATIC METHODS

The dinoflagellates are a large, richly diverse group of protists with marine and freshwater representatives, photosynthetic and heterotroph ic nutritional modes, toxic and non-toxic isolates and some species th at form resting cysts that can be found in the fossil record dating ba ck to the Triassic or perhaps earlier. Traditional classification and phylogeny of the dinoflagellates has been based largely on the structu re of their cell wall or amphiesma. More recently, however, a number o f molecular phylogenies have emerged that challenge the more tradition al perspectives. A review of these molecular results is presented with comparative reference to the long-standing traditional views.