Biologists think that endosymbiosis gave rise to mitochondria before plastids partly because ________.

Question

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All eukaryotes have mitochondria (or remnants of them, such as mitosomes or hydrogenosomes), which suggests that the endosymbiotic event that led to mitochondria occurred before the one that led to plastids. This is because the presence of mitochondria is universal among eukaryotes, while plastids are found only in specific lineages, indicating that the acquisition of mitochondria was a foundational event in the evolution of eukaryotic cells.

Biologists Think That Endosymbiosis Gave Rise to Mitochondria Before Plastids