Compare and Contrast Mitochondria and Chloroplasts

• The mitochondrion (plural: mitochondria) carries out respiration, a process that breaks down glucose and produces ATP that the cell uses as an energy source for active transport and chemical reactions.

• The chloroplasts carries out photosynthesis, a series of reactions that require carbon dioxide and water, from which glucose is produced.

• Both structures are bound by membranes and both have internal surfaces that hold enzymes important in the chemical reactions they do.
• Chloroplasts are oval shaped  and located around the surface of cells and cells at the top of the leaf, photosynthesis occurs quickly as diffusion distances for CO2 are short and light easily reaches the chloroplasts.
• The stacks of thylakoids (grana) in chloroplasts contain chlorophyll which traps energy from light and passes it to energy carries that go to the stroma to take part in the light independent phase of photosynthesis.
• Mitochondria are oval-shaped with highly folded internal membrane that give a large surface area for reactions.
• The second stage of respiration in mitochondria occur in the internal matrix but the third stage occurs on the cristae where the chemicals for the electron transport chain are held and which produces the large amount of ATP for cell life processes.
• Cells that require lots of energy have many mitochondria eg muscle cells. Sperm cells also have a lot to provide ATP to swim to the ovum. Chloroplasts are in cells exposed to most light eg palisade cells in leaf.
• The guard cells in the leaf epidermis have a large number of chloroplasts and mitochondria as they need to produce much glucose and from it ATP to open and close stomata.