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Learning a lot from a little

This dinoflagellate, the algae Dinophysis, was collected in the icy waters of the Ross Sea, Antarctica. WHOI biologists are interested in the diversity and activity of protists (protozoa and algae) in the Antarctic marine environment. Becky Gast, Julie Rose, and Dawn Moran—along with colleagues in Dave Caron’s lab at the University of Southern California—are using a combination of molecular and microscope-based studies—from photodocumenting single cells to recovering small ribosomal gene sequences—to link the genetic taxonomy with the shape (morphology) of the various cells. (Photo by Dawn Moran, Mark Dennett, and Julie Rose, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)