Final answer:
Chrysophytes, or golden algae, are part of the stramenopiles and contain photosynthetic pigments that produce a golden coloration. They are distinguished from Charophytes, which are more closely related to land plants due to shared features like the formation of phragmoplasts and sporopollenin.
Step-by-step explanation:
The terms chryso and phyte in Chrysophytes stand for 'gold' and 'plant' respectively, indicating 'golden plants'. Chrysophytes belong to a group of algae known as the stramenopiles, which include the golden algae (Chrysophyta), the brown algae (Phaeophyta), and the diatoms (Bacillariophyta). These organisms have characteristic chlorophyll a, chlorophyll c1/c2, and fucoxanthin as photosynthetic pigments, and they store energy in the form of chrysolaminarin.
The Charophytes, closely related to the land plants, include orders like the Charales, Zygnematales, and Coleochaetales. Some Charophytes share biological features with land plants such as the formation of sporopollenin and the presence of phragmoplasts during cell division, which suggests a close evolutionary relationship. The Zygnematales, which encompass the genus Spirogyra, are notable for their close genetic relation to the embryophytes based on DNA sequence analysis. On the other hand, Chlorophytes are diverse and primarily freshwater and soil dwellers, with some species exhibiting similar gametes and spores to the unicellular chlorophyte Chlamydomonas.