Multiple Choice
The endosymbiotic theory helps to explain the origin of which structures?
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5. Cell Components
Endosymbiotic Theory
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Which statement is evidence used to support the endosymbiotic theory?
A
Prokaryotic cells lack membrane-bound organelles.
B
Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus that contains linear DNA.
C
Eukaryotic cells can perform photosynthesis.
D
Mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own circular DNA similar to bacteria.
Verified step by step guidance1
Understand the endosymbiotic theory: It suggests that certain organelles, like mitochondria and chloroplasts, originated as free-living bacteria that were engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells.
Identify the key evidence supporting this theory: Look for characteristics of mitochondria and chloroplasts that are similar to bacteria.
Recognize that mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA, which is separate from the nuclear DNA of the eukaryotic cell.
Note that the DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts is circular, which is a characteristic of bacterial DNA, unlike the linear DNA found in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells.
Conclude that the presence of circular DNA in mitochondria and chloroplasts, similar to bacteria, supports the idea that these organelles originated from prokaryotic cells through endosymbiosis.
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