noun
- Plastids (specialized organelles in plant cells) that synthesize and store starch.
Usage: biology; plural form of amyloplast; commonly found in storage tissues of plants
Examples
- Amyloplasts in potato tubers accumulate large amounts of starch for energy storage.
- The cells of cereal grains contain numerous amyloplasts that produce the starch we consume.
- Scientists study amyloplasts to understand how plants store carbohydrates.
- Amyloplasts differ from chloroplasts in that they do not contain chlorophyll.
- Root cells often have amyloplasts that help the plant sense gravity.