Practice question · Estimate
An endosymbiont surrenders most of its genome, which is why it can no longer live alone. A free-living bacterium carries about 3000 genes and a modern mitochondrion about 37. Set the percentage that has been lost or transferred.
Estimate on a scale from 90 per cent (90) to 100 per cent (100).
Hints
- Work out what fraction 37 is of 3000, then subtract from 100 per cent.
- 37/3000 is about 1.2 per cent retained.
Show the answer
98.8 (answers within ±0.6 count)
Why
Only of the genes remain, so about 98.8 % have been lost or moved to the nucleus. An endosymbiont surrenders nearly its whole genome, which is why a mitochondrion can no longer live alone.
Practise The First Cells and Endosymbiosis
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