I wrote the following piece as an entry for a field guide on phytoplankton (microscopic algae) species, a project for my Evolution & Ecology of Marine Organisms Lab.  Although it is a scientific writing and therefore utilizes some different principles than those of the creative writing we’ve encountered in English Composition, I have continued to reflect some of the English 110 Learning Outcomes in this work.  This is especially well-viewed in my use of the “quotation sandwich” around quotes that I incorporate from scientific articles and a textbook.  I make sure to include an introduction for every quote, as well as a follow-up explanation or further discussion of it, and use various signal verbs, as we’ve been instructed by They Say, I Say.  Of course, I also cite all my sources, both with parenthetical citations and on a “Works Cited” page, albeit with CSE rather than MLA formatting.  In addition, while there is no rough draft to include, I performed much revision in global and local areas before submitting this project.  I particularly made an effort to watch out for my sentence transitions and common error pattern of overusing commas.  I recognize that paragraph transitions are not as smooth, but we were instructed to write each on a different aspect of the organism, such as appearance, reproduction, etc., and thus it was difficult to streamline.

Regrettably, we have not done any annotation of scientific articles, nor have we even read any selections as a class.  We also have not performed any peer review, and since our writing is merely informative rather than persuasive, I was unable to integrate my own ideas or even write a thesis for this paper.  However, the other Learning Outcomes of framing quotations and preventing the continuation of error patterns, as I’ve explained, are exhibited well. (I would like to note that after I turned in this paper, I was informed that paraphrasing is encouraged more than direct quotes in scientific writing.  Thus, my use of “sandwiches” was technically incorrect, and I will no longer be able to use them in my scientific writing.)

Ceratium fusus

            Ceratium fusus is a species of dinoflagellate, one category of phytoplankton.  As described by the University of British Columbia in the Ceratium fusus page of their “Phytoplankton Encyclopaedia Project,” it is a 150-230 µm long, “fusiform” or needle-like unicellular eukaryote with two flagella and a cellulose covering.  It has one apical/anterior or frontal horn, and two antapical/posterior horns; according to the University’s information page, “The right antapical horn is so reduced that it looks like a bump, often giving the cell a gentle curve” (Ceratium fusus 2012).  The nucleus can be found in between the apical and antapical horns.  In addition, the cell has a yellow-brown coloration due to the pigments in its chloroplasts.

These haploid organisms can perform both sexual and asexual reproduction.  Based on information from the “Biology” textbook by Sylvia S. Mader and Michael Windelspecht, asexual reproduction by mitosis, in which “each daughter cell inherits half of the parent’s cellulose plates” (Mader & Windelspecht 2016), is more common.  In sexual reproduction, which according to the Microbe Wiki Ceratium page “usually tak[es] place under adverse conditions” (2010), “the daughter cells [of two organisms] act as gametes and fuse to form a diploid zygote” (Mader & Windelspecht 2016), similar to how a sperm cell fertilizes an egg in humans.  This zygote then becomes dormant until it senses a change in the environment and meiosis is triggered, which results in one haploid cell after the others disintegrate.

Based on data from “The Phytoplankton Encyclopaedia Project,” C. fusus can be found near the coast, in estuaries, and in the open ocean.  It appears that they can tolerate a wide range of temperatures, since it’s mentioned they can be viewed in cold, temperate, and tropical areas.  They are particularly abundant off the coast of Southeast Asia, as evidenced by the fact that the species “forms extensive blooms forming red tides in Eastern Asia regions (China, Philippines and Thailand; Baek et al. 2007)” (Ceratium fusus 2012), but are found essentially everywhere.  In terms of ocean depth, the Microbe Wiki states “Ceratium are found in the upper regions of the water, where there is enough light for photosynthesis” (Ceratium 2010).

The Microbe Wiki’s Ceratium page informs that “Ceratium are mixotrophs, obtaining food both through photosynthesis and phagocytosis” (2010); phagocytosis refers to absorption and is a heterotroph strategy to obtain nutrients.  Through its performance of photosynthesis, C. fusus creates oxygen that can be utilized by respirating organisms.  In addition, “They are non-toxic, and are necessary for the food web,” (Ceratium, 2010).  Thus, they play a major role as producers at the base of ecosystems.  Combined with their heterotrophic behavior, this means “They serve not just as nutrients for larger organisms, but they keep smaller organisms in check through predation” (Ceratium 2010).  Unfortunately, as mentioned earlier, in great growing conditions they form blooms called red tides, and the decomposition of these huge populations can deplete dissolved oxygen levels.  Interestingly, another consequence of this species’ presence is that “ [Although] [t]his species is not known to produce toxins, [it] has been linked to deaths of invertebrate larvae” (Ceratium fusus 2012).

 

      Works Cited

Ceratium. [Internet]. [Updated August 7, 2010]. Gambier (OH): Kenyon College. [Cited 16 /oct, 2017] https://microbewiki.kenyon.edu/index.php/Ceratium

Ceratium fusus [Internet]. [Updated 2012]. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: University of British Columbia Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. [Cited 15 Oct, 2017] Accessed from https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/phytoplankton/dinoflagellates/ceratium/c_fusus.html.

Image also from https://www.eoas.ubc.ca/research/phytoplankton/dinoflagellates/ceratium/c_fusus.html.

Mader S, Windelspecht M. 2016. Biology. New York City (NY): McGraw-Hill. p. 382-383