What is Golden Algae?
Golden algae are a large group of algae species belonging to the class Chrysophyceae. Due to the scientific name of their class, they are formally known as chrysophytes. A lot of algae research is currently going on and the taxonomy has been changed quite a lot during recent years. There are currently over a thousand described species of golden algae. A majority of the known Chrysophytes are unicellular and free-swimming, but you can also find colonial and filamentous forms in this group. Chrysophytes chiefly occur in freshwater. In many lakes, golden algae are the primary source of food for zooplankton and they can therefore be extremely important for the entire ecosystem of a lake. Some species of chrysophytes are colourless, but the vast majority is capable of carrying out photosynthesis. Interestingly enough, almost all chrysophytes can switch and start feeding on organisms or the remains of other organisms if they find themselves in an environment where light is to scarce for adeq
