General

Biology 1 12
Earth Science – Grade 12
Quarter 2 – Module 6: The Chloroplast First
Edition, 2020

Republic Act 8293, section 176 states that: No copyright shall subsist in any work of the
Government of the Philippines. However, prior approval of the government agency or office wherein
the work is created shall be necessary for exploitation of such work for profit. Such agency or office
may, among other things, impose as a condition the payment of royalties.

Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand names, trademarks,
etc.) included in this module are owned by their respective copyright holders. Every effort has been
exerted to locate and seek permission to use these materials from their respective copyright owners.
The publisher and authors do not represent nor claim ownership over them.

Published by the Department of Education Division of Pasig City

Development Team of the Self-Learning Module

Writer: Jayson E. Barza

Editors: Ephraim M. Villacrusis Reviewers:
Ephraim M. Villacrusis Illustrator:
Layout Artist: Mark Kihm G. Lara
Management Team: Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin
OIC-Schools Division Superintendent
Carolina T. Revera, CESE
OIC-Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
Victor M. Javeña EdD
Chief, School Governance and Operations Division and OIC-Chief,
Curriculum Implementation Division

Education Program Supervisors

Librada L. Agon EdD (EPP/TLE/TVL/TVE) Liza A.
Alvarez (Science/STEM/SSP) Bernard R. Balitao
(AP/HUMSS)
Joselito E. Calios (English/SPFL/GAS)
Norlyn D. Conde EdD (MAPEH/SPA/SPS/HOPE/A&D/Sports)
Wilma Q. Del Rosario (LRMS/ADM)
Ma. Teresita E. Herrera EdD (Filipino/GAS/Piling Larang)
Perlita M. Ignacio PhD (EsP)
Dulce O. Santos PhD (Kindergarten/MTB-MLE)
Teresita P. Tagulao EdD (Mathematics/ABM)

Printed in the Philippines by Department of Education – Schools Division of Pasig City

 General
Biology 1 12
Quarter 2
Self-Learning Module 6

The Chloroplast
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the General Biology 1 Self-Learning Module 6 on The Chloroplast

This Self-Learning Module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by

educators from the Schools Division Office of Pasig City headed by its Officer-in-Charge Schools
Division Superintendent, Ma. Evalou Concepcion A. Agustin, in partnership with the City Government
of Pasig through its mayor, Honorable Victor Ma. Regis N. Sotto. The writers utilized the standards
set by the K to 12 Curriculum using the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELC) in developing
this instructional resource.

This learning material hopes to engage the learners in guided and independent learning
activities at their own pace and time. Further, this also aims to help learners acquire the needed 21st
century skills especially the5 Cs, namely: Communication, Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking,
and Character while taking into consideration their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body of the
module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that will help
you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module. You also
need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to manage their own learning.
Moreover, you are expected to encourage and assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the
module.
 For the Learner:

Welcome to the General Biology 1 Self-Learning Module 6 on The Chloroplast

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for guided
and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process the contents of
the learning material while being an active learner.

This module has the following parts and corresponding icons:

Expectations - This points to the set of knowledge and skills that you will
learn after completing the module.

Pretest - This measures your prior knowledge about the lesson at hand.

Recap - This part of the module provides a review of concepts and skills
that you already know about a previous lesson.

Lesson - This section discusses the topic in the module.

Activities - This is a set of activities that you need to perform.

Wrap-Up - This section summarizes the concepts and

application of the lesson.

Valuing - This part integrates a desirable moral value in the lesson.

Posttest – This measures how much you have learned from the entire
module.
 EXPECTATIONS

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. explain the structure and parts of the chloroplast.
2. describe the functions of the chloroplast and its role in energy processing and regulation
3. appreciate the importance of chloroplast in the process of photosynthesis

PRETEST
5/5
Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer.

D 1. Which of the following statement does not support the function of a

chloroplast?
A.Chloroplast is responsible for enabling photosynthesis to occur so that plants can
convert sunlight into chemical energy.
B. Chloroplast is an organelle unique to plant cells that contains chlorophyll
C. Chloroplast contains most reactions during photosynthesis
D. Chloroplasts are minor sources of energy for plants

A 2. In which structure of the chloroplast does the chlorophyll contained?

A. Thylakoid
B. Stroma
C. Mesophyll
D. Granum

A 3. Comparable to mitochondria, which serves as a “powerhouse” of the cell, a

chloroplast makes the availability of energy for plants accessible except:
A. It generates large quantities of energy
B. It stores calcium for cell signaling activities
C. It is responsible also for transporting molecules
D. It provides its own food that then gets used to power the organism.

A 4. In which two layers of the leaf are most active chloroplasts found?
A. Palisade and spongy mesophyll
B. Epidermis and stomata
C. Xylem and Phloem
D. Roots and Spongy Mesophyll
 B 5. Chlorophyll, a very important pigment for food production among plants
dominates green as its color. What is the reason for this?
A. It absorbs green wavelengths
B. It reflects green wavelengths of light
C. An optical phenomena caused by transmission of light
D. It absorbs blue and yellow wavelengths combined to be green as a result

5/5
RECAP
In the previous module, we studied the parts of a chloroplast: Let us recall the past lesson by
answering the activity as seen below.

Activity 1.1. Identify the related to the parts and function of a chloroplast. The first letters of
each word is given to serve as clues.

S TROMA 1. An aqueous and protein-rich fluid and is present within the inner
membrane of the chloroplast.

T HYLAKOID 2. The site for the process of light reactions of photosynthesis to happen.

G RANUM 3. The arrangement in stacks of thylakoids

C HLOROPLAST 4. The site of photosynthesis in eukaryotic cells.

C HLOROPHYLL 5. Molecules sit on the surface of each thylakoid and capture light
energy from the Sun

A chloroplast is a basic organelle that in a sense is one of the most important organelles to
us, and we don't even have them! In this module, we will be looking where chloroplasts are found
and what their role and function is in cells
 LESSON
CHLOROPLAST

Chloroplasts are a type of plastid—a round, oval, or disk-shaped body that is involved in the
synthesis and storage of foodstuffs. Chloroplasts are distinguished from other types of plastids by
their green colour, which results from the presence of two pigments, chlorophyll a and chlorophyll b.
A function of those pigments is to absorb light energy. In plants, chloroplasts occur in all green
tissues, though they are concentrated particularly in the parenchyma cells of the leaf mesophyll.
Chloroplasts are roughly 1–2
μm (1 μm = 0.001 mm) thick and 5–7
μm in diameter. They are enclosed in a
chloroplast envelope, which consists of
a double membrane with outer and
inner layers, between which is a gap
called the intermembrane space. A
third, internal membrane, extensively
folded and characterized by the
presence of closed disks (or thylakoids),
is known as the Figure 4.1. The structure and parts of a chloroplast
Source: http. www. brittanica. com
thylakoid membrane. In most higher plants, the thylakoids are arranged in tight stacks called grana
(singular granum). Grana are connected by stromal lamellae, extensions that run from one granum,
through the stroma, into a neighbouring granum. The thylakoid membrane envelops a central
aqueous region known as the thylakoid lumen. The space between the inner membrane and the
thylakoid membrane is filled with stroma, a matrix containing dissolved enzymes, starch granules,
and copies of the chloroplast genome.

The thylakoid membrane houses chlorophylls and different protein complexes, including
photosystem I, photosystem II, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate) synthase, which are
specialized for light-dependent photosynthesis. When sunlight strikes the thylakoids, the light
energy excites chlorophyll pigments, causing them to give up electrons. The electrons then enter the
electron transport chain, a series of reactions that ultimately drives the phosphorylation of
adenosine diphosphate (ADP) to the energy-rich storage compound ATP. Electron transport also
results in the production of the reducing agent nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate
(NADPH).
Photosynthetic Cells

Cells get nutrients from their environment, but where do those nutrients come from? Virtually all
organic material on Earth has been produced by cells that convert energy from the Sun into energy-
containing macromolecules. This process, called photosynthesis, is essential to the global carbon
cycle and organisms that conduct photosynthesis represent the lowest level in most food chains
(Figure 4.2).

Figure 4.2. Photosynthetic plants synthesize carbon-based energy molecules from the energy in sunlight. Consequently, they provide an abundance of
energy for other organisms
Source: © 1993 Elsevier Part A: Graham, L. E. Origin of land plants. New York: J. Wiley and Sons, 1993. All rights reserved. Part B: courtesy of M. Feist,
University of Montpellier. Parts C and D: courtesy of Andrew Drinnan, Univeristy of Melbourne, School of Botany. Parts E, F and J: Courtesy of William
Burger, Field Museum, Chicago

What Is Photosynthesis? Why Is it Important?

Most living things depend on photosynthetic cells to manufacture the complex organic molecules
they require as a source of energy. Photosynthetic cells are quite diverse and include cells found in
green plants, phytoplankton, and cyanobacteria. During the process of photosynthesis, cells use
carbon dioxide and energy from the Sun to make sugar molecules and oxygen. These sugar
molecules are the basis for more complex molecules made by the photosynthetic cell, such as
glucose. Then, via respiration processes, cells use oxygen and glucose to synthesize energy-rich
carrier molecules, such as ATP, and carbon dioxide is produced as a waste product. Therefore, the
synthesis of glucose and its breakdown by cells are opposing processes.
 Figure 4.3. The light and dark reactions in the chloroplast. The chloroplast is involved in both stages of photosynthesis. The light reactions take place in the thylakoid. There, water (H2O) is oxidized, and oxygen (O2)
is released. The electrons that freed from the water are transferred to ATP and NADPH. The dark reactions then occur outside the thylakoid. In these reactions, the energy from ATP and NADPH is used to fix carbon
dioxide (CO2). The products of this reaction are sugar molecules and various other organic molecules necessary for cell function and metabolism. Note that the dark reaction takes place in the stroma (the aqueous
fluid surrounding the stacks of thylakoids) and in the cytoplasm.

© 2010 Nature Education All rights reserved

Photosynthetic cells contain chlorophyll and other light-sensitive pigments that capture solar
energy. In the presence of carbon dioxide, such cells are able to convert this solar energy into
energy-rich organic molecules, such as glucose. These cells not only drive the global carbon cycle, but
they also produce much of the oxygen present in atmosphere of the Earth. Essentially,
nonphotosynthetic cells use the products of photosynthesis to do the opposite of photosynthesis:
break down glucose and release carbon dioxide.

Figure 4.4: Internal Structure of a Chloroplast: © 2010 Nature Education All rights reserved
 ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 4.2.

On the diagram of the leaf below, show the process of photosynthesis. Use different
coloured arrows to show the directions of movement of the sunlight, carbon dioxide and water (the
reactants) and most of the oxygen and glucose (the products).

ACTIVITY 4.3.
Carbon fixation is the process by which inorganic carbon is added to an organic molecule.
Carbon fixation occurs during the light independent reaction of photosynthesis and is the first step in
the C3 or Calvin Cycle. Explain the role of the chloroplast in the process of Carbon fixation.

The role of the chloroplast which started in the aqueous and protein-rich fluid and is present
within the inner membrane of the chloroplast known as stroma produces sucrose and other organic
molecules which is necessary for the growth of the plant.
 The outer membrane is
WRAP-UP a semi-porous
membrane and is
permeable to small
molecules and ions,
ACTIVITY 4.4. Complete the diagram of a chloroplast given
which diffuses easily.
below. Then, cite important events that took place in each part of the The outer membrane is
chloroplast by providing answers on not permeable to larger
proteins.
the region between
the inner A B The inner
membrane and the membrane of the
outer membrane of chloroplast forms a
amitochondrion or border to the
a chloroplast. The
C stroma. It regulates
main function of the the passage of
intermembrane materials in and out
space is oxidative of the chloroplast
phosphorylation

D
Grana - They act as a
type of wall at which
chloroplasts can be
t fixed within, achieving
Thylakoids are the the maximum light
h
internal membranes
G F E possible.
e chloroplasts and
of Lamellae acts as the
cyanobacteria, and bone of the
provide the platform chloroplast which
b the light reactions
for shapes and keeps
o photosynthesis.
of The stroma manages others from bumping
x the chloroplast respo each other.
nse to cellular
es.
stresses and
signaling between
various organelles

VALUING

Chloroplasts are found in all green plants and algae. They are the food producers of plants.
These are found in the guard cells located in the leaves of the plants. They contain a high
concentration of chlorophyll that traps sunlight. Also, chloroplast has its own DNA and can
reproduce independently, from the rest of the cell. They also produce amino acids and lipids
required for the production of chloroplast membrane. Can you give human activities that diminish
the potentials of the functions of a plant and what are the ways to control or lessen these actions?
Pollution, burning/ cutting trees diminishes the importance and roles of the plants in the ecosystem
Without it, changes in the climate, erosions, quality of air is reduced, and waters will be polluted.
In order for these to lessen was by planting more trees, kaingin should not be tolerated especially in the

Province and by promoting environmental drive in the community.

 5/5
POSTTEST

Multiple Choice. Choose the letter of the best answer.

A 1. What process takes place in the chloroplast turning light energy into food?
A. Photosynthesis
B. Carbon fixation
C. Light Reaction
D. Dark Reaction

A 2. Which of the following controls which molecules can enter or leave the
chloroplast?
A. outer membrane C. stroma
B. inner membrane D. thylakoids

B 3. Which of the following is the collection of sacks containing chlorophyll?

A. stroma C. pigments
B. thylakoids D. lumen

A 4. Chlorophyll is necessary for photosynthesis because it

A. traps solar energy C. absorbs carbon dioxide

B. combines with oxygen D. reacts with glucose

B 5. Which of the following DOES NOT summarize the energy changes in

photosynthesis?

A. Sunlight is used to make food

B. Chemical energy is converted into heat energy
C. Solar energy is converted into chemical energy
D. Sunlight is used to build up complex carbon compounds
KEY TO CORRECTION
REFERENCES
Batista, Jeremy, Cena Christianilly. May 29, 2019. https://www.STUDY.com/simple-science-
chloroplast-structure-function-examples

Introduction to Plants Lesson Accessed July 14, 2020.

https://www.bu.edu/gk12/xiaojuan/Lessons/chloroplast.html.

Hoefnagels, Marielle. General Biology. McGraw-Hill Education. Abiva Publishing House,Inc. 2016.

Learning, Lumen. “Anatomy and Physiology I.” Lumen. Accessed July 7, 2020.
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/austincc-ap1/chapter/botany

Miller, Stephen A. Zoology. McGraw-Hill. New York. 2010.

Starr, Cecie. Evers, Christine. and Lisa. Starr. Biology: Today and Tomorrow Biology for Non Science
Majors. Cengage Learning. 2010

Study.com. Accessed July 14, 2020. https://study.com/academy/practice/quiz-worksheet-

characteristics-of-chloroplast.html.

Posts, Related, and About The Author sana. “OBJECTIVE FOR Diffusion. Osmosis
Absorption. Translocation & Transpiration.” Its all about Zoology , Botany and
Biology. Accessed July 14, 2020. https://biologyboom.com/objective-for-diffusion-
osmosis-absorption-translocation-transpiration/.

https://www.britannica.com/science/chloroplast

Sciencing.com. Accessed July 14, 2020. https://sciencing.com/academy/practice/quiz-

worksheet-four stages of cellular respiration.html.

Sciencing.com. Accessed July 18, 2020. https://sciencing.com/academy/practice/quiz-

worksheet-importance of pigments in photosynthesis.html.

https://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/photosynthetic-cells-14025371/