Chloroplasts
Genesis Castillo
Jerry Skinner
Biology 1125
October 31,2014
What is Chloroplast?
Chloroplast are organelles that live in plants and algal cells. Chloroplast has many roles
but its main role is to conduct photosynthesis
• “where the photosynthetic pigment chlorophyll captures the energy from
sunlight, and stores it in the energy storage molecules ATP and NADPH while
freeing oxygen from water.” (Biology4kids)
Chloroplast basically turns the energy from the sun to sugar that the cells may use.
What does chloroplast consist of?

Chloroplast has:
• Outer membrane - The outside of the chloroplast is
protected by a smooth outer membrane.
• Inner membrane - Just inside the outer membrane is the
inner membrane which controls which molecules can pass
in and out of the chloroplast. The outer membrane, the
inner membrane, and the fluid between them make up the
chloroplast envelope.
• Stroma - The stroma is the liquid inside the chloroplast
where other structures such as the thylakoids float.
Continues..
•
Thylakoids - Floating in the stroma is a collection of sacks containing
chlorophyll called the thylakoids. The thylakoids are often arranged into
stacks called granum as shown in the picture below. The granum are
connected by disc-like structures called lamella.
•
Pigments - Pigments give the chloroplast and the plant its color. The
most common pigment is chlorophyll which gives plants their green
color. Chlorophyll helps to absorb energy from sunlight.
•
Other - Chloroplasts have their own DNA and ribosomes for making
proteins from RNA.
•
(Biology4kids)
Details about chloroplast

“Chloroplasts are the food producers of the cell.”

There can be several other chlorophyll during
photosynthesis.

it is also one of three different types of plastids.

Plastids- a major organelle found in the cells of plants and
algae ; chloroplast is the most important plastids found in a
cell.
Facts about chloroplast

They contain multiple copies of circular pieces of DNA
called plasmids

They contain 120 genes, chloroplast makes about 10 percent
of the protein it needs to function.
Chloroplast make their own ribosomes into protein.
 It can become other types of organelles.
 “They can degrade their thylakoid membrane and become
chromoplasts, filling with colorful pigments’


Reason why fruit changes color.
More facts
Chloroplasts helps fight off diseases as part of the cell’s immune system.


They store the energy making amino acids for the cell
“Simple cells, like those found in algae, may only have one or two chloroplasts.
More complex plant cells, however, may contain hundreds.
•
•
Chloroplasts will sometimes move around within the cell in order to position
themselves to where they can best absorb sunlight.
•
•
The "chloro" in chloroplast comes from the Greek word chloros (meaning
green).
The most abundant protein in chloroplasts is the protein Rubisco. Rubisco is
likely the most abundant protein in the world.”
•
(Duckster)
More Facts
“Human and animal cells do not need chloroplasts because we get our
•
energy from eating and digesting food rather than through
photosynthesis.
•
•
Scientists estimate that there are around 500,000 chloroplasts in a
single square millimeter of a leaf.
There are actually different colors of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll A is the
most common type and is green. Chlorophyll C is a golden or brownish
color.”
•
(Duckster)
What did I learn that you should too…

Chloroplast is not just a green little thing that floats around plants.
They actually have many jobs like produce sugar (photosynthesis) and
help plants with their immune system.

Chloroplast also has many different parts to it and many different
functions.

Chloroplast is not only green they have different colors.

ONLY PLANTS HAVE CHLOROPLAST.

Doing research I saw a lot of mistakes, people trying to prove that animals and
humans have chloroplast.
Work cited

http://biology.tutorvista.com/animal-and-plant-cells/chloroplasts.html

http://www.biology4kids.com/files/cell_chloroplast.html

http://education.seattlepi.com/chloroplasts-4985.html

http://www.ducksters.com/science/biology/cell_chloroplasts.php