Imagine your body is like a city, and each cell is like a house. Some houses have power plants that make energy, these are called mitochondria. But if the house is in a plant, it also has another kind of power plant, chloroplasts, which use sunlight to make energy. Mitochondria work in all cells, but chloroplasts only work in plants.
Examples
- A plant uses its chloroplasts like a solar panel, it absorbs sunlight to make sugar. An animal uses mitochondria in its cells to turn food into energy.
- Mitochondria work in all kinds of cells, like those in your muscles when you run. Chloroplasts only help out in plants, like when a leaf catches the sun’s rays.
- Your cell is like a house, it has mitochondria for power, but if it's part of a plant, it also has chloroplasts that collect sunlight.
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See also
- What role do mitochondria play as the "powerhouses" of cells?
- What is mitochondria?
- What is Electron transport chain (ETC)?
- What is chemiosmosis?
- What are mitochondrial disorders?