Difference Between Mitochondria and Chloroplast: A eukaryotic cell has only three organelles with a double-layered structure: the nucleus, mitochondria, and chloroplast. While these organelles share structural similarities, their primary difference is their location. Mitochondria are found inside cells in humans and plants, converting stored energy in molecules or other fuel sources into a form the cell can use.
On the other hand, chloroplasts are organelles present in the cells of plants and algae. They absorb light energy and store it as fuel molecules within the plant's tissues. The following article details the difference between mitochondria and chloroplasts in eukaryotic cells.NEET Biology Syllabus | NEET Biology Diagrams |
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Difference Between Mitochondria and Chloroplast |
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Characteristic | Mitochondria | Chloroplasts |
Location | Found in almost every eukaryotic cell, including animals and plants | Found only in some protists, algae, and plant cells |
Size and Shape | Usually 1 to 10 micrometers in length, sausage-shaped | Typically 2 to 10 micrometers long, disc or oval-shaped |
Membrane Structure | Outer and inner membrane, separated by an intermembrane space | Thylakoid membrane, inner membrane, and outer membrane |
Replication | Binary fission replication | Binary fission or budding replication |
Pigments | Doesn't contain any pigments | Contains pigments such as chlorophyll |
DNA | Contains its own circular DNA, similar to bacterial DNA | Contains its own circular DNA, similar to bacterial DNA |
Function | Uses oxidative phosphorylation to produce ATP | Utilizes photosynthesis to convert light energy to chemical energy |
Endosymbiotic Origin | Likely descended from an ancestral eukaryotic cell that engulfed a free-living bacterium | Likely descended from an ancestral eukaryotic cell that engulfed a free-living photosynthetic cyanobacterium |
Oxygen Dependence | Utilizes oxidative phosphorylation, requiring oxygen for ATP production | Does not need oxygen, but some processes can use it |
Enzymes and Pathways | Involved in the electron transport chain, citric acid cycle, and beta-oxidation | Involved in light-dependent and light-independent reactions of photosynthesis |