noun
- a symbiotic relationship in which one organism lives inside the cells of another organism, often resulting in the evolution of new cellular structures or organelles
Usage: biology term; also called endosymbiotic theory when referring to the hypothesis that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from free-living bacteria
Examples
- Endosymbiosis is believed to explain how eukaryotic cells acquired mitochondria billions of years ago.
- The theory of endosymbiosis suggests that chloroplasts in plant cells originated from photosynthetic bacteria.
- Scientists study endosymbiosis to understand the evolution of complex life forms.
- Endosymbiosis demonstrates how two different organisms can merge into a single functional unit.
- The discovery of endosymbiosis revolutionized our understanding of cell evolution.