Which type of cell are dinoflagellates?
Prokaryotic, because it has a flagellum.
Eukaryotic, because it contains a nucleus.
Prokaryotic, because it has free floating DNA.
Eukaryotic, because it does not contain membrane bound organelles.
The correct answer is:
Eukaryotic, because it contains a nucleus.
Dinoflagellates are single-celled, eukaryotic organisms that belong to the kingdom Protista. They are characterized by the presence of a nucleus, which is a defining feature of eukaryotic cells.
The key points about dinoflagellates:
They are eukaryotic, not prokaryotic. Eukaryotic cells have a true nucleus that contains the genetic material, unlike prokaryotic cells.
They have a flagellum, which is a feature found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. The presence of a flagellum alone does not make an organism prokaryotic.
Dinoflagellates have free-floating DNA within the nucleus, not free-floating DNA in the cytoplasm like prokaryotes.
They do contain membrane-bound organelles, which is another characteristic of eukaryotic cells.
So the correct answer is that dinoflagellates are eukaryotic cells because they contain a true nucleus, which is the defining feature of eukaryotes.