Explore the anatomy of a plant's mesophyll to understand how chlorophyll generates a green appearance
An explanation of how structures inside the leaf contribute to plant coloration.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.Chloroplasts circulate within plant cells. The green coloration comes from chlorophyll concentrated in the grana of chloroplasts.
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© MinuteEarth (A Britannica Publishing Partner)Molecules of chlorophyll, the key photosynthetic pigment in green plants, are arranged within a leaf such that they minimize the plant's need to transport incoming solar radiation while also increasing a leaf's photosynthetic output.
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Transcript
NARRATOR: Look closely at plants. What makes them green? Just like human skin, the leaves of plants have an outer layer called the epidermis. In plants the epidermis is made up of a single layer of cells. If we cut across a leaf and zoom in, we can see the area between the upper and lower epidermis. This area, called the mesophyll, consists of several layers of green cells.
Each green cell of this plant contains an abundance of organelles known as chloroplasts. Each chloroplast is filled with a semifluid substance called stroma, which is rich in proteins and enzymes that play a role in photosynthesis. The stroma, in fact, is the site of the dark reaction of photosynthesis.
The stroma holds the grana, which are stacks of flat, round thylakoids. Thylakoids are often described as shaped like pancakes or disks. Thylakoids are themselves hollow and enclose a space called a lumen. If we look very, very closely at thylakoids, we find chlorophyll embedded in their membranes. This is where the light reaction of photosynthesis takes place. Chlorophyll associated with the thylakoid membrane captures sunlight to start the process of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is also what gives plants their green color.
Each green cell of this plant contains an abundance of organelles known as chloroplasts. Each chloroplast is filled with a semifluid substance called stroma, which is rich in proteins and enzymes that play a role in photosynthesis. The stroma, in fact, is the site of the dark reaction of photosynthesis.
The stroma holds the grana, which are stacks of flat, round thylakoids. Thylakoids are often described as shaped like pancakes or disks. Thylakoids are themselves hollow and enclose a space called a lumen. If we look very, very closely at thylakoids, we find chlorophyll embedded in their membranes. This is where the light reaction of photosynthesis takes place. Chlorophyll associated with the thylakoid membrane captures sunlight to start the process of photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is also what gives plants their green color.