What is endosymbiosis and how does it work?
EndosymbiosisNancy A. Moran, Rebecca A. ChongLAST REVIEWED: 12 August 2022LAST MODIFIED: 25 September 2018DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780199941728-0114IntroductionWithout endosymbiosis, life on Earth would be vastly different. Endosymbiosis has been key to the diversification of eukaryotes as a whole, all plants, large clades of insects and other invertebrates, and diverse protozoan groups. Many life forms and lifestyles would not exist without it. Endosymbiosis was once considered a sideshow of eukaryotic evolution, with nuclear genomes providing the main stage. But we now know that endosymbiosis has played a massive and ongoing role in evolution. The “endosymbiotic theory,” the proposal that mitochondria and chloroplasts each evolved from bacterial ancestors that invaded ancestral unicellular eukaryotes, was verified over forty years ago, but this verification left many questions unresolved. Mainly due to molecular data, we now have a vastly expanded appreciation of the centrality of endosymbiosis in evolution. Endosymbiosis has enabled bursts of species diversification by enabling eukaryotic lineages to invent new ecological niches. It affords new sources of needed nutrients and new weaponry for defending against parasites and predators. In some cases, endosymbionts enable host organisms to live in harsh environments that would be otherwise inaccessible, due to extreme temperatures or aridity. The endosymbiotic lifestyle often leads to massive evolutionary changes in the genomes of endosymbionts themselves, and, as a consequence, potentially leads to extinctions of lineages. It has also provided a source of novel genes, taken up by nuclear genomes of hosts and conferring new capabilities. The literature on endosymbiosis and its role in evolution is enormous, with thousands of publications on this subject in the last two decades. We include the most critical themes under this broad topic and emphasize those pertaining to evolutionary processes or evolutionary history. The scientific literature and community pertaining to endosymbiosis are fragmented. For example, those studying organelle origins, symbioses in insects, and symbioses in plants typically publish in different journals, attend different conferences, and rarely cite one another. Publications on endosymbiosis appear in journals within microbiology, botany, entomology, mycology, cell biology, genetics, evolution, ecology, and other subdisciplines, with many in generalist biology journals. Despite this fragmentation, the same biological processes and questions span these different groups of organisms. One aim with this bibliography is to make these subfields more accessible to one another. Finally, endosymbiosis research is itself fast-evolving. This bibliography includes both recent papers and papers from the last twenty years that represent major advances or good overviews of knowledge at critical stages in the past. Show
General OverviewsEndosymbiosis research entered a new era when molecular technologies enabled sequencing of endosymbiont and host genes and, later, genomes. Many endosymbionts cannot be cultured in the lab, so the earlier work relied largely on microscopy, and researchers were largely unable to confirm hypotheses about the history and function of endosymbioses that they observed. The following sections include both original works from the early, nonmolecular research on symbiosis; works describing endosymbiosis research from a historical perspective; a few of the major accounts of more modern endosymbiosis research; and popular accounts of examples of current endosymbiosis research. back to top Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page. Please subscribe or login. How to SubscribeOxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. ArticleUp
Down How does the process of endosymbiosis work?The Endosymbiotic Theory states that the mitochondria and chloroplast in eukaryotic cells were once aerobic bacteria (prokaryote) that were ingested by a large anaerobic bacteria (prokaryote). The aerobic bacteria were initially free-living prokaryotes, before being ingested by anaerobic bacteria.
What is endosymbiosis easy definition?endosymbiosis. / (ˌɛndəʊˌsɪmbɪˈəʊsɪs) / noun. a type of symbiosis in which one organism lives inside the other, the two typically behaving as a single organism. It is believed to be the means by which such organelles as mitochondria and chloroplasts arose within eukaryotic cells.
What is endosymbiosis and why is it important?This major theme in the origin of eukaryotes is known as endosymbiosis, where one cell engulfs another such that the engulfed cell survives and both cells benefit. Over many generations, a symbiotic relationship can result in two organisms that depend on each other so completely that neither could survive on its own.
What is the best definition of the endosymbiosis theory?Endosymbiotic theory is a theory suggesting that the organelles such as mitochondria and chloroplasts within the eukaryotic cell came about as a result of the early endosymbiosis between prokaryotic endosymbionts and eukaryotic host cell. Synonym: symbiogenesis.
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