The following figure shows a mitochondrion,emphasizing its inner and outer membranes. The inner membrane of the mitochondria is thought to have evolved from
A) a bit of plasma membrane from the early eukaryotic cell that engulfed a bacterium.
B) the membrane surrounding the lysosome that engulfed a bacterium, once it was inside an early eukaryotic cell.
C) the plasma membrane of a prokaryotic cell engulfed by an early eukaryotic cell.
D) infoldings of the plasma membrane of an early eukaryotic cell.

Question

The following figure shows a mitochondrion,emphasizing its inner and outer membranes.  The inner membrane of the mitochondria is thought to have evolved from
A) a bit of plasma membrane from the early eukaryotic cell that engulfed a bacterium. 
B) the membrane surrounding the lysosome that engulfed a bacterium, once it was inside an early eukaryotic cell. 
C) the plasma membrane of a prokaryotic cell engulfed by an early eukaryotic cell. 
D) infoldings of the plasma membrane of an early eukaryotic cell.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The inner membrane of the mitochondria has a similar structure to the plasma membrane of prokaryotic cells, and is thought to have evolved from the plasma membrane of a prokaryotic cell engulfed by an early eukaryotic cell. This theory is known as the endosymbiotic theory of mitochondria.

The Following Figure Shows a Mitochondrion,emphasizing Its Inner and Outer