Why do organelles like mitochondria and chloroplasts have their own DNA? (1 point)

Question

• They used to be free-living prokaryotes that functioned as unicellular organisms.
• DNA is used to code for proteins, which these organelles synthesize.
• They are responsible for their own replication and division inside the cell.
• All organelles have their own DNA, and these two demonstrate that property.

Answer 1

The correct answer is: They used to be free-living prokaryotes that functioned as unicellular organisms.

This is based on the endosymbiotic theory, which suggests that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated from free-living prokaryotic organisms that were engulfed by ancestral eukaryotic cells and formed a symbiotic relationship. Over time, these engulfed organisms became integral parts of the eukaryotic cell, retaining some of their own DNA.