Question

What is common between chloroplasts, chromoplasts and leucoplasts?
A) Presence of pigments
B) Possession of thylakoids
C) Storage of starch, proteins and fats
D) Ability to multiply by a fission like process

Answer 1

Hint: The term plastid was introduced by E. Haeckel in 1866. Chloroplast, chromoplast, and leucoplast are types of plastids that are classified based on their pigments.

Complete answer:
The plastid is a membrane-bound organelle found in the cells of plants, algae, and some other eukaryotic organisms. They are responsible for manufacturing and storing food. These often contain pigments that are used in photosynthesis and different types of pigments that can change the color of the cell.

Comparison between chloroplast, chromoplast, and leucoplast:-

Characteristic	Chloroplast	Chromoplast	Leucoplast
Pigment color	Green	Orange, and red	Colorless
Function	Photosynthesis. The chloroplast absorbs light and provides the energy required to complete photosynthesis.	Gives color to flowers and leaves during the fall.	Specialized for bulk storage of starch, lipid, or protein and are, then, called amyloplasts, elaioplast, or proteinoplast.
Location	Mesophyll cells of leaves	Fruits, flowers, roots, stressed and aging leaves.	Roots and non-photosynthetic tissues of plants.
Thylakoid and grana	Present	Absent	Absent
	They have different shapes such as spherical, ovoid, stellate, spiral, and cup shape	They do have a fixed shape. They may be spherical, spindle-shaped, sickle-shaped, or irregularly polygonal.	Round in appearance.
Multiplication	Fission	Fission	Fission

The ability to multiply by a fission-like process is the common feature among them as they contain their genetic material and protein-synthesizing machinery i.e., DNA, RNA, and ribosomes.
Hence, the correct option is D, ‘ability to multiply by a fission-like process’.

Note: Plastids are semi autonomous cell organelles bound by two membranes and are found in only plant cells & some unicellular organisms (Euglena) of uncertain affinity.