Chromoplast 576155 201545436 2008-03-28T10:39:36Z Anticipation of a New Lover's Arrival, The 6510232 grammar '''Chromoplasts''' are [[plastid]]s responsible for [[pigment]] '''synthesis and storage'''. They, like all other plastids (including [[chloroplast]]s and [[leucoplast]]s), are [[organelle]]s found in specific photosynthetic eukaryotic species. Chromoplasts in the traditional sense, are found in coloured organs of plants such as fruit and floral petals, to which they give their distinctive colors. This is always associated with a massive increase in the accumulation of [[carotenoid]] pigments. The conversion of chloroplasts to chromoplasts in ripening tomato fruit is a classic example. Chromoplasts synthesize and store pigments such as orange [[carotene]]s, yellow [[xanthophyll]]s and various other red pigments; as such, their color varies depending on what pigment they contain. The probable main evolutionary role of chromoplasts is to act as an attractant for pollinating animals (e.g. insects) or for seed dispersal via the eating of colored fruits. They allow the accumulation of large quantities of water-insoluble compounds in otherwise watery parts of plants. In chloroplasts, some carotenoids are also used as accessory pigments in [[photosynthesis]], where they act to increase the efficiency of chlorophyll in harvesting light energy. When [[Leaf|leaves]] change color in [[autumn]], it is due to the loss of green [[chlorophyll]] unmasking these carotenoids ''that are already present in the leaf''. In this case, relatively little new carotenoids are produced. Therefore, the change in [[plastid]] pigments associated with [[leaf senescence]] is somewhat different from the active conversion to chromoplasts observed in fruit and flowers. It should be noted that the term "chromoplast" is occasionally utilized to include ''any'' plastid that has pigment, mostly to emphasize the contrast with the various types of [[leucoplast]]s, which are those plastids that have no pigments. In this sense, [[chloroplast]]s are a specific type of chromoplast. Still, "chromoplast" is more often used to denote those plastids with pigments other than the green of chlorophyll. ==Compare== [[Image:Plastids types.svg|left|220px]] *[[Plastid]] **[[Chloroplast]] and [[etioplast]] **Chromoplast **[[Leucoplast]] ***[[Amyloplast]] ***[[Elaioplast]] ***[[Proteinoplast]] <br clear=all> [[Category: Organelles]] [[Category: Photosynthesis]] [[bg:Хромопласт]] [[de:Chromoplast]] [[fr:Chromoplaste]] [[hr:Kromoplast]] [[lt:Chromoplastas]] [[mk:Хромопласт]] [[nl:Chromoplast]] [[pl:Chromoplast]] [[sl:Kromoplast]] [[tr:Kromoplast]] {{Cell-biology-stub}}