2A-Chloroplast

CHLOROPLAST

Taylor Dang Bryan So

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**Script:**

In any diagram presenting a food chain, plants are always the base of the chain. In other words, all animals, through a direct or indirect path, receive their energy from plants. How do plants get their energy? Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process a plant cell uses to create glucose and oxygen by combining carbon dioxide and water. Where does this reaction occur? In the chloroplast.

The chloroplast, found only in plant cells, is located in the cytoplasm. The main structures of the chloroplast include the outer and inner membranes, the thylakoid, the granum, the stromal lamellae, and the stroma. First, the outer and inner membranes contain and protect the inner parts of the chloroplast. Second, the thylakoids are the coin-like disks that contain chlorophyll, or green pigments, which host the site of photosynthesis. Next, is the granum, which is the arranged stack of thylakoids. The stromal lamellae act as a skeleton for the chloroplast by connecting and separating the granum. This also creates efficiency for producing energy. Last, is the stroma, the area inside the chloroplast where reactions occur and glucose is created.

The chloroplast’s interactions with the other organelles in the plant cell resemble the same concept of producers and consumers where the chloroplast is the producer and the other organelles are the consumers. The sugars produced by the chloroplasts through photosynthesis are used by the mitochondria to create ATP which is used for the movements, thoughts, and actions animals make.

When chloroplasts are removed from the plant cell, all eukaryotic cells would quickly die. Without chloroplasts, there would be a hazardous accumulation of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Also without chloroplasts, there would be no photosynthesis to create sugars or oxygen. Therefore, the plant cell would have no energy to reproduce, leading to the death of all plant species. This would further lead to the starvation of herbivorous animals and eventually lead to the starvation of carnivorous animals like humans. Essentially, the entire plant and animal kingdom, including the entire human race, will parish if the chloroplasts are removed from the plant cell.

**Works Cited:** “The Cell Organelles.” //EDHS Green Sea//. EDHS Green Sea, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. .

“Cell Structures and Functions.” //Cellular Biology//. Think Quest, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. .

“Chloroplasts - Show me the Green.” //Reader’s Biology4Kids//. 1997-2011 Andrew Rader Studios, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. .

“Eucaryotic Cell Interactive Animation.” //Cells Alive!// ©1994 to 2011, Quill Graphics, n.d. Web. 3 Jan. 2012. .