Chloroplasts are specialized organelles found exclusively in plant cells, playing a crucial role in photosynthesis by converting solar energy into chemical energy. These organelles contain carotenoid pigments, which assist in trapping solar energy and transferring it to chlorophyll, the primary pigment responsible for absorbing light energy.
Both maintain a gradient of hydrogen ions that can be used to power the endergonic (absorbing energy) process of producing ATP through chemiosmosis
Both create energy through a process called chemiosmotic coupling
Both contain a small amount of DNA and RNA
Both present in plant cells
Both essential organelles
Both contain an electron transport chain which establishes a proton gradient
Both contain ribosomes which help with the formation of proteins in each organelle
Both contain and use CO₂ and O₂
Both contain their own genetic systems and materials unique to them
Both replicate by division
Both generate metabolic energy for the cell
Both structures are a round, oval shape
Both are descended from a specific type of bacteria
Both are membrane bound organelles
Both have a double membrane
Chloroplasts
Descended from cyanobacteria
Add more sunlight to the plant to help chloroplasts speed up the rate of photosynthesis
-Only found in plant cells
-Found in all photosynthetic organisms
-Enclosed in a chloroplast envelope
-Chloroplasts are roughly 1–2 μm (1 μm = 0.001 mm) thick and 5–7 μm in diameter
-Proteins encoded by nuclear DNA have become essential to chloroplast function
-The inner membrane is more restricted as there is limited transport and it only lets in specific proteins through transmembrane channels
-They have carotenoid pigments which are accessory pigments and trap solar energy to transfer it to chlorophyll
-The outer membrane is permeable to small molecules and contains transmembrane channels to allow the larger molecules to pass through
-They are green in colour due to chlorophyll (chlorophyll absorbs the light energy)
-Found in all green tissues but are typically in the parenchyma cells located in the leaf mesophyll
-Water is oxidized within the chloroplast to produce oxygen and the electrons from the water are transferred to ATP and NADPH
-Chloroplasts are where the reaction photosynthesis occurs which produces oxygen and organic compounds
-Each of the three membranes have a set of ion channels and transporters specialized to them which enable and control the transport of nutrients, solutes, and metabolites in and out of the chloroplast
-Has a third internal membrane system called the thylakoid membrane which is named because of the presence of thylakoids
Mitochondria
Descended from proteobacteria
-They are about 0.5–1 μm in diameter
-They also have something called a matrix which is the space within the inner membrane which contains hundreds of enzymes and is very important in the production of ATP within the mitochondria
-Mitochondria contain cristae which are the folds of the inner membrane whose role is to increase the surface area of the membrane which increases the space used for chemical reactions and thus speeds up reactions and production of energy
-The mitochondria contains a mitochondrial electron transport chain which uses a series of electron transfer reactions to create ATP for the cells through oxidative phosphorylation
-Water is used in the mitochondria by accompanying the transport of solutes into and out of the organelle through osmosis
-Most of the oxygen in the mitochondria is used for energy production created by oxidative phosphorylation
-The reaction which occurs in the mitochondria is oxidative phosphorylation which uses oxygen available in the cell to convert chemical energy from the food consumed into energy which the cell can use
-They are the primary consumers of oxygen and are place where approximately 98% of oxygen that eventually reaches our tissue cells goes to
-Known as the “powerhouse of the cell”
-Different cells have a different amount of mitochondria depending on the amount of energy needed to function properly
-Contain their own small chromosomes called mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA
-Chemical energy made by the mitochondria is stored as ATP
-Located in the cytoplasm of the cell
-Found in plant and animal cells
-Make most of the chemical energy needed to power the cells biochemical reactions
