Peridinium Gatunense

The armored dinoflagellate Peridinium gatunense Nygaard (hence, Peridinium) is the best-known and most important bloom-forming phytoplankton species of Lake Kinneret. This chapter provides an overview of the history of its research, its systematics, life cycle and physiological features, spatial and temporal distribution, growth versus loss processes, interspecies interactions, and summarizes its role as a keystone species in the ecology of Lake Kinneret.