thylakoid membranes
nounUK /ˈθaɪləkɔɪd ˈmembreɪnz/
US /ˈθaɪləkɔɪd ˈmembreɪnz/
Tiny flat sacs inside a plant cell where sunlight is turned into food.
The thylakoid membranes in the leaf's chloroplasts capture sunlight during photosynthesis.
RELATED WORDS
OTHER MEANINGS
2. The internal membrane system of chloroplasts that houses the light-harvesting complexes.
Proteins embedded in the thylakoid membranes carry out the light reactions of photosynthesis.
3. Stacked membrane discs forming grana within a chloroplast.
The thylakoid membranes are stacked like pancakes to increase surface area.
4. Membranous structures in cyanobacteria where oxygenic photosynthesis occurs.
In cyanobacteria, thylakoid membranes are not enclosed within a chloroplast.