Classification:
            Kingdom - Plantae
            Phylum - Chrysophyta

Color:Golden algae, due to several pigments, including: orange carotenes, yellow xanthophylls, and brown Fucoxanthins.

Movement:Chrysophyta are free-floating.

Feeding:Golden algae produce food through photosynthesis.

Reproduction:Golden algae may reproduce asexually by fission, or may reproduce sexually through the formation and union of isogametes.

Gas Exchange:Because golden algae engage in photosynthesis, they take in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen.

Human Connections: Colonial types of Chrysophyta such as Synura and Dinobyon produce enough oil to be a source of tastes and odors in drinking water.  These types of golden algae are commonly removed from drinking water that has been through a water purification process.
 

Curator: Beth Jewell, beth.jewell@fcps.edu