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Explore/Biology & evolution/Symbiosis and cells

How can a partnership change the unit of evolution?

Endosymbiosis asks how previously distinct organisms became integrated in a cell lineage.

Biology & evolutionTopic · Selected readingSome background helpful
Background and goal

Try the short introduction first, or bring equivalent reading experience. Obtain the specified text before beginning the longer reading.

Compare an organelle and a free-living bacterium; list two observations relevant to endosymbiotic origin.

Useful preparation

Start here if the background is new. Equivalent experience is enough.

Your pathway

5 steps · 14 hours
  1. 01

    Locate the reading

    0.25h · week 1
    Reading notes and task
    First fifteen minutesCheck the edition or article version and locate the passages below. Write the question you want the reading to resolve.
    Your outputEdition and passage record
  2. 02

    Study the opening

    4h · week 1
    Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis

    Understanding Evolution, University of California, Berkeley · reference

    Berkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis

    Free full text

    Open the reading
    Reading notes and task

    Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis. Endosymbiosis asks how previously distinct organisms became integrated in a cell lineage.

    Try thisRead Berkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis. Reconstruct the central argument using premises and a conclusion.
    Your outputArgument reconstruction
    Check your understanding

    Answer this question in your own words: How can a partnership change the unit of evolution?

    Hint

    Name the claim, then explain why a reader might accept it.

    Compare with an example answer

    Endosymbiosis asks how previously distinct organisms became integrated in a cell lineage.

    What to look for

    • States a claim that addresses the question
    • Connects the claim to a passage or observation
    • Separates the author’s argument from personal agreement

    Common mistake: Summarising a biography instead of explaining the argument.

    Start this pathway to keep your answers in My learning.

  3. 03

    Read for contrast

    5h · week 2
    Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis

    Understanding Evolution, University of California, Berkeley · reference

    Berkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis

    Free full text

    Open the reading
    Reading notes and task

    Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis. Endosymbiosis asks how previously distinct organisms became integrated in a cell lineage.

    Try thisRead Berkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis. Compare two passages that put pressure on your initial interpretation.
    Your outputTwo-passage comparison
  4. 04

    Develop an example

    3h · week 3
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisCompare an organelle and a free-living bacterium; list two observations relevant to endosymbiotic origin.
    Your outputWorked example
    Check your understanding

    What would make your activity a convincing example?

    Hint

    Compare an organelle and a free-living bacterium; list two observations relevant to endosymbiotic origin.

    Compare with an example answer

    A useful response carries out the task: Compare an organelle and a free-living bacterium; list two observations relevant to endosymbiotic origin. It records the observation or passage used and explains how it bears on the question.

    What to look for

    • Completes the specific task
    • Shows evidence or reasoning rather than only a conclusion
    • Identifies an alternative explanation or reading

    Common mistake: Presenting an opinion without showing the example it rests on.

    Start this pathway to keep your answers in My learning.

  5. 05

    Write a considered response

    1.75h · week 4
    Reading notes and task
    Try thisWrite a response to “How can a partnership change the unit of evolution?” that uses both passages and tests its own conclusion. Similarity alone is not enough to establish ancestry.
    Your outputReasoned response with references
    Check your understanding

    What is one conclusion this reading does not establish?

    Hint

    Test the boundary: Similarity alone is not enough to establish ancestry.

    Compare with an example answer

    Similarity alone is not enough to establish ancestry.

    What to look for

    • States a specific limit
    • Explains why the reading does not warrant the stronger conclusion
    • Distinguishes a limitation from dismissing the work

    Common mistake: Treating a useful interpretation as an unrestricted fact.

    Start this pathway to keep your answers in My learning.

All 1 resources

Background, different viewpoints, and further reading.

  • Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis

    Understanding Evolution, University of California, Berkeleyreferencecore

    Endosymbiosis asks how previously distinct organisms became integrated in a cell lineage.

    Berkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis