what are mitochondria
Mitochondria are specialized structures unique to the cells of animals, plants and fungi. They serve as batteries, powering various functions of the cell and the organism as a whole.itochondria are unlike most organelles (with an exception of plant chloroplasts) in that they have their own set of DNA and genes that encode proteins. Plant mitochondria were first observed by Friedrich Meves in 1904, as mentioned by Ernster and Schatz (Journal of Cell Biology, 1981).