BRAINCAKEChloroplasts
Chloroplasts are the organelles in which photosynthesis takes place. They are found in plant cells of green tissues, especially palisade mesophyll cells in leaves, and in some protoctists (algae). They are usually disc- or lens-shaped, about 2 to 10 µm long.
Structure
• Chloroplast envelope: a double membrane surrounding the organelle, which controls what enters and leaves.
• Thylakoids: flattened membrane sacs containing the photosynthetic pigments, such as chlorophyll, and the proteins of the electron transport chain and ATP synthase. Stacks of thylakoids are called grana (singular: granum).
• Intergranal lamellae: thylakoid membranes that link one granum to another.
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Key terms in this lesson
- chlorophyll
- The main photosynthetic pigment in chloroplasts, found in the thylakoid membranes, which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis.
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