Jonathan Khan October 6, 2010

Ms. Crowley A.P. Bio

Pg. 42

2. Four differences between eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are

a. Eukaryotic cells have double membrane bound organelles; while most prokaryotic

lack organelles with double membranes, or even membrane bound organelles at

all.

b. Eukaryotic cells have their DNA wrapped around special proteins called histones.

While on the other hand, prokaryotic cells have so little DNA, that it can almost

always be found as a single circular chromosome.

c. Eukaryotic cells have a more fluid cytoplasm, allowing it to be easily streamed

from one part of the cell to another. On the other hand, prokaryotes have a more

rigid cytoplasm creating somewhat of a gel like material.

d. Eukaryotes are not very resistant to drastic changes in their environment, causing

them to desiccate fairly easily. On the other hand, the prokaryotes are very

resistant to thermal denaturation, and to desiccation.

3. The endosymboitic theory of the evolution of the eukaryotic cell states that at one point

in the history of microbial life when there was a lack of resources for prokaryotes, a

prokaryotic cell engulfed another prokaryotic cell as a source of food. But instead of

being destroyed, the engulfed cell, resisted digestion and continued to live in symbiosis

with the cell that originally engulfed it. This theory can be proved with these three lines

of evidence: certain organelles have double membranes, DNA is found in chloroplasts

and mitochondria of cells, not only in the nucleus, and the ribosomes which are localized

to the chloroplasts and mitochondria of eukaryotic cells, more closely resemble the

ribosomes found in prokaryotic cells. The double membrane proves the endosymboitic

theory in the way that when a cell engulfs something, a pseudopod forms. This

pseudopod is an pushing out of the cell membrane around the particle to be taken into the

cell. When the pseudopod containing the particle is brought into the cell, (now called a

vesicle), a membrane surrounds the particle. If this particle were to already have a

membrane before engulfment, it would now have a double membrane. Its own plasma

membrane would become the inner membrane, while the membrane of the vesicle would

become the outer membrane of the organelle. This can best be shown in the structures of

the mitochondrion, and the chloroplasts. Each of which have an inner and outer

membrane. DNA is the material that forms the code for all of life. DNA is usually found

in the nucleus of eukaryotic organisms, and inside of the cytoplasm of prokaryotic cells.

Being that these organelles have their own DNA, and that the DNA contained inside of

these organelles more closely resembles the plastids of prokaryotic organisms, we can

assume that at one point in the history of life, they existed outside of another cell as

prokaryotic organisms. The last piece of evidence is the size of the ribosomes found on

the mitochondrion and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cells compared to the size of the

ribosomes found inside of prokaryotic cells. The ribosomes which are found inside of

prokaryotic cells are similar in size to those which are found inside of the mitochondrion

and chloroplasts of eukaryotic cells. The ribosomes of eukaryotes are many times larger

than those of their prokaryotic counterparts. Based on this observation of size, a

conclusion that the mitochondrion and chloroplasts existed once as a prokaryotic

organism can be drawn. Based on these pieces of evidence, it can be drawn that the

endosymboitic theory of life is indeed a valid theory.