THE

CHLOROPLAST
There are three types of plastids:
CHLOROPLAST
They are green
colored plastids,
which comprises
green-colored
pigments within
the plant cell and
are called as the
chlorophyll.
CHROMOPLAST
They are the
color plastids,
found in all
flowers, fruits
and are mainly
responsible for
their distinctive
colors.
LEUCOPLAST
They are
colorless plastids
and are mainly
used for the
storage of starch,
lipids, and
proteins within
the plant cell.
 Chloroplast

•“Chloroplast is an organelle that

contains the photosynthetic pigment
chlorophyll that captures sunlight
and converts it into useful energy,
thereby, releasing oxygen from
water.”
• Chloroplasts are found in all green plants and
algae. They are the food producers of plants.
These are found in the guard cells located in
the leaves of the plants. They contain a high
concentration of chlorophyll that traps
sunlight. This cell organelle is not present in
animal cells.

• Chloroplast has its own DNA and can reproduce

independently, from the rest of the cell. They
also produce amino acids and lipids required
for the production of chloroplast membrane.
outer envelope membrane OUTER
MEMBRANE
proteins have important
roles in signal transduction,
protein import, lipid
biosynthesis and
remodeling, exchange of
ions and numerous
metabolites, plastid
division, movement, and
host defense.
 OUTER
trapping of light energy MEMBRANE
and the transduction of
this energy into the THYLAKOID

chemical energy forms,

ATP and NADPH. During
this process, water is
oxidized and oxygen is
released.
 OUTER
Thylakoids are the major MEMBRANE
site for the light
dependent reactions of THYLAKOID
photosynthesis. It is also
involved in the water
oxidation or photolysis of
water resulting in the
release of oxygen during
photosynthesis.
 OUTER
MEMBRANE
Grana membranes are
composed of lipids and THYLAKOID
tightly packed pigment-
protein complexes whose
primary role is GRANUM
the catalysis of
photosynthetic light
reactions.
Grana are made up of OUTER
MEMBRANE
stacks of disc-shaped
structures known as THYLAKOID
thylakoids.
The grana of the
chloroplast consists of GRANUM
chlorophyll pigments and
are the functional units of
chloroplasts.
 OUTER
The function of the stroma MEMBRANE
is to provide volume around
the different structures THYLAKOID
inside of the chloroplast for
protection. The stroma is
where the light-independent GRANUM
reaction process of
photosynthesis takes place,
STROMA
also called the Carbon cycle.
 The intermembrane
space is the region OUTER
MEMBRANE
between the inner
membrane and the outer
THYLAKOID
membrane of a
mitochondrion or a
chloroplast. The main
function of the GRANUM

intermembrane space
is nucleotide STROMA
INTERMEMBRANE
SPACE phosphorylation.
 connect thylakoids of two OUTER
different grana. MEMBRANE
They increase the efficiency
of photosynthesis by keeping THYLAKOID
STROMA
LAMELLA grana at a distance so that
they do not clutter together.
They are also known as
stroma thylakoids. They GRANUM

ensure that maximum

energy
INTERMEMBRANE
from sunlight is STROMA
SPACE captured in photosynthesis.
INNER This membrane is of OUTER
MEMBRANE MEMBRANE
central importance in
chloroplasts, where it THYLAKOID
STROMA
LAMELLA fills the role of
the inner mitochondrial
membrane in electron GRANUM
transport and the
chemiosmotic
INTERMEMBRANE STROMA
SPACE generation of ATP
 Structure of Chloroplast
• Chloroplasts are found in all higher plants. It is
oval or biconvex, found within the mesophyll of
the plant cell.
• The size of the chloroplast usually varies
between 4-6 µm in diameter and 1-3 µm in
thickness.
• They are double-membrane organelle with the
presence of outer, inner and intermembrane
space.
• There are two distinct regions present inside a
chloroplast known as the grana and stroma.
• Thylakoid System- The system is suspended in the
stroma. It is a collection of membranous sacs called
thylakoids. The green coloured pigments called
chlorophyll are found in the thylakoid membranes.
It is the sight for the process of light-
dependent reactions of the photosynthesis process.
The thylakoids are arranged in stacks known as
grana and each granum contains around 10-20
thylakoids.
 Functions of Chloroplast
• The most important function of the
chloroplast is to synthesize food by the
process of photosynthesis.

• Absorbs light energy and converts it into

chemical energy.

• Chloroplast has a structure called

chlorophyll which functions by trapping the
solar energy and used for the synthesis
of food in all green plants.
 Functions of Chloroplast
•Produces NADPH and molecular oxygen
(O2) by photolysis of water.

•Produces ATP – Adenosine triphosphate

by the process of photosynthesis.

•The carbon dioxide (CO2) obtained from

the air is used to generate carbon and
sugar during the Calvin Cycle or dark
reaction of photosynthesis.