Dinoflagellates have long whip-like structures called flagella that allow them to move freely throughout the water column.

[6] Mixotrophic dinoflagellates have the ability to thrive in changing ocean environments, resulting in shifts in red tide phenomenon and paralytic shellfish poisoning.

[10] As well, ingestion rates of the mixotrophic dinoflagellate Ceratium furca are affected by intracellular nutrient concentrations.

[7] Mixotrophic dinoflagellates with individual plastids that depend mostly on photosynthesis can prey on other cells as their secondary source of nutrients.

[7] On the other hand, mixotrophic dinoflagellates with individual plastids that depend mainly on phagocytosis are also photosynthetic due to chloroplasts 'stolen' from their prey (kleptochloroplasts) or because of algal endosymbionts.

[13] Mixotroph dinoflagellates belonging to the species Gymnodinium sanguineum feed on nanociliate populations in Chesapeake Bay.

[14] By preying on ciliates, these dinoflagellates reverse the normal flow of material from primary producer to consumer and influence the trophodynamics of the microbial food web in Chesapeake Bay[14] Several established ecological models of marine microbial food webs have not included feeding by mixotrophic dinoflagellates.

[12] Another consideration would be to include predator-prey relationships of mixotrophic dinoflagellates at a species level due to co-existence in offshore and oceanic waters.

[12] For example, mixotrophic and heterotrophic dinoflagellates may act as predators on a wide range of prey types due to their diverse feeding mechanisms.

Mixotrophs can grow in low nutrient (more stable) environments and become dominant members of planktonic communities.

[16] Many mixotrophic and some heterotrophic dinoflagellates are known to cause red tides or harmful blooms that result in large-scale mortality of fish and shellfish.