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Chrysophyta: Diagnostic Features

Teena Agrawal, Prerana Badoni, Dr. Suman Kacholia

Abstract


Algae are the photosynthetic microorganism commonly found in the aquatic habitat whether it is marine habitats like oceans, rivers or freshwater habitats like lakes, ponds, streams etc. Algae are characterized by the presence of the different pigments in different cells. In this review work, we are presenting some of the diagnostic features of the division Chrysophyta, also known as the golden algae. They are generally unicellular with silica present in the cysts, and chl a and c as major photosynthetic pigments. In addition, yellow pigment, fucoxanthin, is also a unique feature of these algae. They are found in the limnetic zone of the ponds and rivers, usually upper zones which is a features of these algal cells. In lake ecosystem, they are the primary sources of the food for zooplanktons. They have two different kinds of members with different modes of nutrition. Some of them have the autotropic mode of the nutrition where they produce their own food and do not depend on others for their nutrition needs. Some of the members are of heterotrophic mode of nutrition where they depend on others for their nutrition. They can consume oceanic foods like the bacteria, planktons and other microbes. There are about 1,000 species of the Crysophyta division; most of them are free swimming and unicellular, whereas rest are the filamentous and colonial type of the system. The flagella are heterokont and chloroplast are with chl a and c. Cells are naked, and in many cases, they are surrounded by the silica cysts. Photosynthesis results in the crysolaminarin starch as products. Heterotrophic mode of the nutrition has also been reported in some of the species. In many species sexual reproduction includes the cell fusion, followed by the fusion and encystment of the zygote. Initially their classification was done on the basis of the morphology, but later on, the classification is being done on the basis of the molecular features and characters like the DNA and RNA estimation and protein sequencing.


Keywords


Photosynthetic microorganism, oceanic habitat and fresh water habitat, silica, DNA and RNA estimation, protein sequencing

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References


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