Abstract
The prokaryotic world is composed of the domains Archaea and Bacteria (Box 1.1), which dominate our planet based on their sheer numbers. However, in the evolution of increasing complexity, the emergence of another major type of cell, the eukaryotic cell, was a critical innovation. While many eukaryotes are single-celled organisms, as are bacteria, some eukaryotes form multicellular lifeforms, in which cells form a larger organism that is much more than a collection of its parts (see Chap. 8 for more on multicellularity). Prokaryotes do not do this (although they can band together in simpler ways). Even single celled eukaryotes such as the protozoa can have extremely complex structures within a single cell, as exemplified by unicellular organisms such as Paramecium (Fig. 6.1). So how eukaryotes arose is central to our understanding of how complex life appeared on Earth.
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Further Reading
The Evolutionary Path to the Eukaryotic Cell
Bains, W., & Schulze-Makuch, D. (2015). Mechanisms of evolutionary innovation point to genetic control logic as the key difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 81, 34–53.
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Endosymbiosis
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The First Eukaryotes
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Schulze-Makuch, D., Bains, W. (2017). Endosymbiosis and the First Eukaryotes. In: The Cosmic Zoo. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62045-9_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-62045-9_6
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