Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts are tiny green parts inside plant cells. They help the plant make its own food. To do this, they use sunlight, water, and air. This special job is called photosynthesis. Chloroplasts are the reason most plants are green.

Making Food from Sunlight

Chloroplasts catch sunlight using a green stuff called chlorophyll. They mix the light with water from the soil and carbon dioxide from the air. This makes sugar, which the plant uses for energy. The plant also gives off oxygen during this process. That oxygen is what we breathe.

Only in Plants

Animals do not have chloroplasts. That is why animals must eat food instead of making it. Plants, algae, and some tiny living things have chloroplasts. They feed themselves and also feed us and many other animals. Without chloroplasts, there would be no food chain.

Fun Facts

• Chlorophyll is the green color you see in leaves.
• Chloroplasts can move around inside a plant cell.
• In fall, leaves lose their chlorophyll and turn red or yellow.

Did You Know?

Plants on Earth make almost all the oxygen we breathe, thanks to their chloroplasts.