ABSTRACT
Dinoflagellates are a nutritionally diverse group of protists with phototrophic, helerotrophic, and mixotrophic members. Although the majority of dinoflagellate species probably are heterotrophs, most culturing efforts in the past century have focused on the photosynthetic forms. This chapter focuses on methods for culturing heterotrophic dinoflagellates as phagotrophs. It should be noted that many phototrophic dinoflagellates have phagotrophic capabilities, and the inclusion of particulate food sources also may enhance or make possible the culturing of these mixotrophs. As dinoflagellates feed by a variety of mechanisms, this will be one factor to consider in providing appropriate culture conditions and prey items. Attempts to isolate and culture phagotrophic dinoflagellates have followed many of the same principles and procedures used in culturing other protists. Dinoflagellates have been grown successfully in many types of culture vessels. The best choices for both media preparation and incubations are those made of plastic: polycarbonate, polysulfone, or Teflon flasks, bottles, and centrifuge tubes.
