Chloroplast Morphology

In the previous activity you looked at a difference in chloroplast density between different tissues of the same plant. For this activity, we'll consider some differences in chloroplasts among several different species of plants and algae. 

Plant Chloroplasts

First, click through the images below, which feature different species of land plants. Each photo of a plant in situ is followed by a micrograph of chloroplasts from the same plant species. As you study the pictures, consider whether the variability in shape that you see among the chloroplasts is relatively high (i.e., lots of variation in shape) or relatively low (i.e., not much variation in shape).

	Click the bottom arrows to view the slides. Click the text icon to bring up more information.
This content requires JavaScript enabled.

Now that you've viewed the photos, what do you think? Mouse over your choice for feedback:

(1) The land plant chloroplasts show relatively high variability in shape among different species (i.e., they all look quite different from each other).

(2) The land plant chloroplasts show relatively low variability in shape among different species (i.e., they all look very similar to each other).

Algal Chloroplasts

Time to count more chloroplasts! You won't need Fiji/ImageJ this time, however. In the interactive below, view each image and make a rough estimate as to how many chloroplasts you see. Click on 'SHOW' to reveal the correct answer. Click on the right-pointing arrow to advance to the next image (left-pointing arrow to return to the previous image).

	Click 'Show' to see the hidden portion.
This content requires JavaScript enabled.

Are you surprised by the results? Click through to the next page of the lab for an explanation...

return to top | previous page | next page