Phytoflagellates – Protozoan

Phytoflagellates are autotropbs that possess chlorophyll or other related pigments, and store food as fats, oils and starches (other than glycogen). They are free-living and assigned often to the algal phyla.

Examples are: Euglena, Chlamydomonas, Volvox, Peranema, Gonium, Pandorina, dinoflagellates.

Figure: Diversity among phytoflagellates Gonium and Pandorina are colonial. Noctiluca and Ceratium are dinoflagellates.

Dinoflagellates an interesting group of phytoflagellates with brown or yellow chromatophore although some are color less. Some species, Noctiluca for example are bioluminesceit, Dinoflagellates can also damage other organisms when they reproduce in profusion, producing toxic substances that may be highly poisonous for other living organisms.