Thylakoids

Source: This post is based on the article “What are thylakoid membranes?” published in “The Hindu” on 11 January 2024.

Why in news?

Researchers at the University of Liège, Belgium have identified microstructures in fossil cells that are 1.75 billion years old. 

What are the recent findings related to Thylakoids?

1) The oldest known fossil thylakoids date back approximately 550 million years.

2) However, researchers have identified thylakoid membranes in fossil cells that are 1.75 billion years old.

3) These findings suggest a minimum age for the divergence between cyanobacteria with and without thylakoids.

3) It presents a possibility that that the development of thylakoids might have significantly contributed to the phenomenon known as the ‘Great Oxygenation’.

What is ‘Great Oxygenation’ event?

1) Around 2.4 billion years ago on earth the oxygen released by cyanobacteria filled the ocean and made its waters oxygen rich.

2) Over time, this oxygen started escaping into the atmosphere, where it reacted with methane.

3) As more oxygen escaped, methane was eventually displaced, and oxygen became a major component of the atmosphere.

4) This event is known as the Great Oxidation Event.

What are thylakoid?

1) Thylakoids are little pouches located in the chloroplasts of plants.

2) They are found in ancient, light-sensitive bacteria called cyanobacteria.

Note: Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that obtain energy through photosynthesis. They are often referred to as blue-green algae, although they are not classified as true algae.

3) They store chlorophyll, the substance in plants that reacts to sunlight and triggers photosynthesis.

4) The thylakoid’s function is to perform light-dependent reactions in photosynthesis.

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