Amyloplast 576142 217166444 2008-06-04T21:56:45Z 87.121.52.128 [[Image:Potato - Amyloplasts.jpg|right|thumb|Amyloplasts in a potato cell]] '''Amyloplasts''' (a specialized form of [[leucoplast]]s) are non-[[pigment|pigmented]] [[organelles]] found in [[plant cell]]s responsible for the storage of [[amylopectin]], a form of [[starch]], through the [[polymer|polymerisation]] of [[glucose]]. Amyloplasts also convert this starch into sugar, for when the plant needs energy. In the day, in plants, there is more sugar than starch present. At night, there is more starch than sugar present. Large numbers of amyloplasts can be found in underground storage [[biological tissue|tissues]] of some plants, such as [[potato]]. Amyloplasts are derived from [[plastid]]s, which are a specialized class of cellular organs. The plastids carry their own genome and are believed to be descendants of [[cyanobacteria]] (blue-green algae) which formed a symbiotic relationship with the [[eukaryotic]] cell. In the [[root cap]] (a tissue at the tip of the [[root]]) some specialized amyloplasts are thought to be involved in the perception of gravity by the plant ([[gravitropism]]). These specialized amyloplasts can sediment according to the gravity vector and are called [[statolith]]s. ==Compare== [[Image:Plastids types.svg|left|220px]] *[[Plastid]] **[[Chloroplast]] and [[etioplast]] **[[Chromoplast]] **[[Leucoplast]] ***Amyloplast ****[[Statolith]] ***[[Elaioplast]] ***[[Proteinoplast]] <br clear=all> [[Category:Organelles]] [[Category:Plant cells]] [[Category:Plant physiology]] [[Category:Cell anatomy]] {{cell-biology-stub}} [[bg:Амилопласт]] [[de:Amyloplast]] [[fr:Amyloplaste]] [[it:Amiloplasto]] [[lt:Amiloplastas]] [[nl:Amyloplast]] [[ja:アミロプラスト]] [[pl:Amyloplasty]] [[pt:Amiloplasto]] [[tr:Amiloplast]]