AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -The leading hypothesis, called the endosymbiotic theory, is that eukaryotes arose as a result of a fusion of Archaean cells with bacteria, where an ancient Archaean engulfed (but did not eat) an ancient, aerobic bacterial cell.

Detailed explanation-2: -The endosymbiotic theory posits that some eukaryotic cell organelles, such as mitochondria and plastids, evolved from free-living prokaryotes. Available data indicate that the mitochondrial endosymbiosis initiated the evolution of the eukaryotic cell, as suggested by Margulis.

Detailed explanation-3: -Endosymbiotic theory goes back over 100 years. It explains the similarity of chloroplasts and mitochondria to free-living prokaryotes by suggesting that the organelles arose from prokaryotes through (endo)symbiosis.

Detailed explanation-4: -The endosymbiotic theory states that some of the organelles in eukaryotic cells were once prokaryotic microbes. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are the same size as prokaryotic cells and divide by binary fission.