Chrrysophyta, also known as golden algae, mostly free swimming and unicellular but they are filamentous and colonial forms. They form diatomaceous Earth when their silica falls as sediment. They also are very porous and are excellent filters so they are used in pool filters and for filtering beer and wine.
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Inside this phylum are organisms called diatoms. There are over 5,000 different species of diatoms and they are the most distinct class of marine Phytoplankton. They are mostly found in higher elevations and along coasts. Diatoms have a unique cell wall called the frustule. There are also two body types that diatoms could have, either centric or pennate. Centric diatoms have radial symmetry while pennate diatoms have bilateral symmetry. They are also made up of two halves called valves which is separated by the raphe.
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Since diatoms are diploid then to reproduce, they go through meiosis to form female and male gametes which then fuse to form a zygote. To do this though, the diatom goes through mitosis multiple times until the cells become to small to divide which forms the gametes. The gametes are then released and it fuses with another gamete forming once again a zygote.
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