Abstract
Light is the driving force of photosynthesis. Plants adapt to rapid changes in irradiance, quality and duration of the light environment by modulating the composition of the thylakoid membranes to make the best use of the available light energy. Each chloroplast contains a large amount of thylakoid membranes some of which may be arranged as stacks (granal thylakoids) and others as unstacked sacks (stromal thylakoids). Shaded chloroplasts develop more thylakoid surface area as compared to those growing in full sunlight. Conversion of sun-type chloroplasts to those of shade-types can occur quickly, when sun plants are shaded. However, the response mechanism of chloroplasts to changes in light levels is yet to be understood. Reports in the literature showed that plants grown in red light developed more grana compared to those grown under blue light and a pigment detection system has been postulated. While, other models propose that overall energy flux changes within the chloroplast induce sun/shade response.
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