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UNIT 02 / REVIEW

Endosymbiosis and organelle evidence

Mitochondria and chloroplasts have traits consistent with bacterial ancestry, including their own DNA, bacterial-like ribosomes, and division.

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01 / Endosymbiosis and organelle evidence

Endosymbiosis and organelle evidence

Endosymbiotic theory explains mitochondria and chloroplasts as descendants of bacteria incorporated into ancestral host cells. Multiple lines of evidence support this account: genetic relationships with bacterial lineages, organelle genomes, bacterial-like translation machinery, division resembling binary fission, and surrounding membranes. No single superficial resemblance proves the theory by itself; converging evidence makes the inference strong. Many ancestral organelle genes have been lost or transferred to the nucleus, and modern organelles depend on numerous nuclear-encoded proteins. They are integrated parts of eukaryotic cells rather than fully independent bacteria living unchanged inside them.

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A chloroplast gene sequence groups with cyanobacterial homologs in a well-supported phylogeny. Combined with its own DNA and bacterial-like ribosomes, that relationship supports shared ancestry more strongly than green color alone would.

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The nucleus is not explained by the classic mitochondrial/chloroplast endosymbiosis evidence. Also, an organelle having some DNA does not mean it can survive independently.

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Original review notes informed by standard biology principles. Check the official AP Biology framework ↗ and OpenStax Biology 2e ↗ for further reading.