1. What is a chloroplast? Explain how a root of a plant, that lacks Chloroplasts, gets energy. What organelles are involved with converting the energy for the roots?

Question

2. Explain why animal cells do not require a cell wall or a central vacuole.

Answer 1

A chloroplast is an organelle found in plant cells that is responsible for photosynthesis, the process of converting light energy into chemical energy. Without chloroplasts, a root of a plant would not be able to produce energy from light and would instead rely on other sources of energy. The root would obtain energy from the breakdown of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids, which are stored in the cell. This energy is converted into a usable form by the mitochondria, which are organelles that are responsible for the production of ATP, the energy currency of the cell. The ATP is then used to power the metabolic processes of the cell.

Animal cells do not require a cell wall or a central vacuole because they do not need the structural support that a cell wall provides. Animal cells are able to maintain their shape and integrity through the cytoskeleton, which is a network of proteins that provide structural support. Animal cells also do not need a central vacuole because they do not need to store large amounts of water or other substances like plant cells do.