How is endosymbiosis related to eukaryotic evolution?
1 Answer
The inclusion of mitochondria and photosynthetic cells
Explanation:
The idea is that mitochondria and photosynthetic chloroplasts resemble primitive unicellular creatures, and have enough parts that they might of at one time been separate creatures. Larger unicellular organisms engulfed them and rather than digesting them, benefited from their ability to carry out glycolosis (mitochondria) or photosynthesis (chloroplasts).
The new on board resources allowed the engulfing cell to become more complex. Over time the plasmids were passed down allowing each new eukaryote to have their own DNA and the DNA for their little mitochondria or chloroplast as well. As time went on the mitochondria or chloroplasts lost the need for their other parts, since they are protected in the host cell and became organelles. Both structures still have their membranes though.
