Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

i am having trouble trying to find out how to set up an experiment to test the absoption of sunlight in a single unit of chloroplast, if you have any information or an idea that can help me please say so, thanks

james

Hi,

Welcome to the Science Buddies Expert Forum. Your question of how to work with one chloroplast is very intriguing. Chloroplasts are very small and probably difficult to isolate functionally intact from cells. Can you tell us more about what you are trying to do?

A quick search turned up this interesting site on photosynthesis. I would suggest reading it and looking into the work referenced in it for ideas on how the process was originally investigated, as there seem to be several variations on how it works!

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/s ... 400001.asp

Once you can formulate more specific questions, post back and we will see what we can do to help.

Alternatively, check out the scienceBuddies Project Idea guide in plant biology for other great project ideas:
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... a=PlantBio

This looks like a really fascinating area to look into, and has some really important aspects to it!

Best regards,

Barrett Tomlinson

Hi,

I found this paper that you might find interesting:

http://jcb.rupress.org/cgi/reprint/7/2/235.pdf

You might also be interested in these lab write-ups:

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/barnard/bio ... lastid.pdf

http://www.columbia.edu/itc/barnard/bio ... igment.pdf

http://plantsinmotion.bio.indiana.edu/p ... gpics.html

I hope these help give you some ideas!

Best of luck with your project.

Barrett Tomlinson

Hi,

Just a followup on chloroplasts. I got interested in why and how chloroplasts move in response to light stimulii, and found this link on stromula:

http://4e.plantphys.net/article.php?ch=7&id=122

A great old paper on microscopy of chloroplasts:

http://jcb.rupress.org/cgi/reprint/24/1/79.pdf

And a research proposal:
http://www.jsps.go.jp/english/e-grants/ ... /bi02e.pdf

And abstracts on chlorplast mobility:
http://abstracts.aspb.org/pb2004/public/M20/9127.html

http://abstracts.aspb.org/pb2004/public/M20/9127.html

http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/jour ... 1/abstract

http://www.reference-global.com/doi/abs ... C.2007.118

http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/k ... rmat=print

This is obviously an area of current active research, and looks fascinating.

Hope this helps!

Barrett Tomlinson