endosymbiosis

American  

[en-doh-sim-bee-oh-sis, -bahy-] / ˌɛn doʊˌsɪm biˈoʊ sɪs, -baɪ- /

noun

Biology.

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

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endosymbiosis British  

/ 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

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• endosymbiotic
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of endosymbiosis

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.

From Science Daily • Sep. 29, 2023

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.

From Scientific American • Jun. 13, 2022

In defense of the classical gradualist theory of evolution, nearly all biologists in the late 1960s rejected the theory of endosymbiosis as presented by Lynn Margulis in 1967.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Now we know that variations have many causes, including mutation, endosymbiosis, genetic drift, sexual recombination, epigenetic factors and, yes, horizontal gene transfer.

From Scientific American • Jun. 15, 2019

However, because of gene transfer and endosymbiosis events, connections occur between the branches at various points.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015