• Question: What is chloroplast for ?

    Asked by Claudiamanto to Eoin, Ester, Ildiko, Natasha, Paul, Tom on 8 Nov 2017.
    • Photo: Ester Gil Vazquez

      Ester Gil Vazquez answered on 8 Nov 2017:

      Chloroplasts are really cool organelles that plants (and some microorganisms) have. With them, they can convert light into energy and use it to develop their tasks. Plants also need water and CO2 for obtain energy, that’s why we need to water them and leave them exposed to the sun from time to time.

    • Photo: Ildiko Somorjai

      Ildiko Somorjai answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      Chloroplasts contain the pigment chlorophyll that makes plants green. One of the coolest analogies for a chloroplast that I have seen is that it is like the solar powered battery of a plant cell.

    • Photo: Paul McKeegan

      Paul McKeegan answered on 9 Nov 2017:

      They contain my second favourite electron transport chain! Everyone should have a top 5, I reckon. The electron transport chain is a cool but complex process that converts energy from one type to another. In the chloroplast, it uses light to convert carbon dioxide into sugar, with oxygen as a useful bonus. In the mitochondria, a different electron transport chain converts sugar and other nutrients into ATP, which is a small, energy-rich molecule that is carried around the cell and around the body to power everything we do! So without chloroplasts, we would all be absolutely stuffed.

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