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Cellular Structures Involved in Photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is the process which enables plants to use energy from the sun to help create the carbohydrates needed for energy and for building blocks. A byproduct of this process is the creation of oxygen molecules which are released into the air that we breathe.

Chloroplasts
- Mesophyll cells are found in the middle of a cross-section of a leaf. Inside these cells reside the chloroplasts where photosynthesis takes place.
Thylakoids
- Inside the chloroplasts are structures called grana. These structures are made up of pancake-shaped thylakoids. It takes two to 100 thylakoids to make up a granum. Pigment molecules called chlorophyll and carotenoid contained in thylakoid membranes collect solar energy, beginning the process of photosynthesis.
Stroma
- Surrounding the grana are the stroma, where the light-independent phase of photosynthesis takes place. This is where simple carbohydrates are made by enzymes that take the carbon from carbon dioxide and combine it with hydrogen and oxygen.

Nature