plastid

Examples of plastid in the following topics:

• The Evolution of Plastids

  • There are three type of plastids: chloroplasts, chromoplasts, and leucoplasts.
  • Chloroplasts are plastids that conduct photosynthesis.
  • Chromoplasts are plastids that synthesize and store pigments.
  • Plastids, like mitochondria, cannot live independently outside the host.
  • In addition, like mitochondria, plastids derive from the binary fission of other plastids.

• Chromalveolata: Alveolates

  • However, some chromalveolates appear to have lost red alga-derived plastid organelles or lack plastid genes altogether.
  • This phenomenon is called a red tide and results from the abundant red pigments present in dinoflagellate plastids.

• Characteristics of Eukaryotic Cells

  • In addition, plant cells have a cell wall, a large central vacuole, chloroplasts, and other specialized plastids, whereas animal cells do not.
  • Plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts, plasmodesmata, and plastids used for storage, and a large central vacuole, whereas animal cells do not.

• Endosymbiosis and the Evolution of Eukaryotes

  • More detailed electron microscopic comparisons between cyanobacteria and chloroplasts combined with the discovery that plastids (organelles associated with photosynthesis) and mitochondria contain their own DNA led to a resurrection of the idea in the 1960s.

• Plant Responses to Gravity

  • Amyloplasts (also known as statoliths) are specialized plastids that contain starch granules and settle downward in response to gravity.

• Comparing Plant and Animal Cells

  • Plant cells have a cell wall, chloroplasts and other specialized plastids, and a large central vacuole, whereas animal cells do not.