endosymbiosis

[en-doh-sim-bee-oh-sis, -bahy-]

noun

Biology.

1. symbiosis in which one symbiont lives within the body of the other.

endosymbiosis

/ ˌɛndəʊˌsɪmbɪˈəʊsɪs /

noun

1. a type of symbiosis in which one organism lives inside the other, the two typically behaving as a single organism. It is believed to be the means by which such organelles as mitochondria and chloroplasts arose within eukaryotic cells

Other Word Forms

• endosymbiotic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of endosymbiosis¹

First recorded in 1935–40; endo- + symbiosis

Example Sentences

The Aiptasia sea anemone is a model system for research on endosymbiosis in corals and other cnidarians.

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It’s not at all clear that the ancestral proto-eukaryote had that ability, Martin says — which would make the barrier to that first endosymbiosis much higher.

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Using this information, the authors sought to resolve a key mystery in coral biology: which cells in the organism are responsible for recognizing the appropriate algal species and establishing the endosymbiosis?

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Future studies should focus on the cell biology of endosymbiosis.

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Hu and colleagues’ work heralds a new and valuable attempt at a rigorous and systematic understanding of the cellular and molecular basis of coral endosymbiosis, and, potentially, of coral bleaching.

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