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Noctiluca scintillans
Dinoflagellate Noctiluca scintillans (magnified).
protozoan
microorganism
Also known as: Protozoa
protozoan, organism, usually single-celled and heterotrophic (using organic carbon as a source of energy), belonging to any of the major lineages of protists and, like most protists, typically microscopic. All protozoans are eukaryotes and therefore possess a “true,” or membrane-bound, nucleus. They also are nonfilamentous (in contrast to organisms such as molds, a group of fungi, which have filaments called hyphae) and are confined to moist or aquatic habitats, being ubiquitous in such environments worldwide, from the South Pole to the North Pole. Many are symbionts of other organisms, and some species are parasites. Modern ultrastructural, biochemical, and genetic evidence ...(100 of 12724 words)