Endosymbiosis: Lynn Margulis

Endosymbiosis and the evolutionary importance of relationships among organisms. Compare the evidence for organelle origins with wider claims about symbiosis.

How to study this source

• What evidence supports an endosymbiotic origin?

  coreOpening overview and the first section that addresses the pathway question. Stop after 30–45 minutes; this is selected reading.

  Endosymbiosis and the evolutionary importance of relationships among organisms. Compare the evidence for organelle origins with wider claims about symbiosis.

• How can a partnership change the unit of evolution?

  coreBerkeley Understanding Evolution: Endosymbiosis, Lynn Margulis

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

Ideas and questions

Read background definitions when a term blocks the argument. Then return to the source and reconstruct its claim in your own words.

Read alongside, read against