Question

What evidence is there that mitochondria were incorporated into the ancestral eukaryotic cell before chloroplasts?

Short answer

Chloroplast is present in only green plants that prepare their own food by photosynthesis.

Step-by-step solution

Introduction

Mitochondria

• It is a cell organelle present in eukaryotes.
• They generate energy in the form of ATP.

Chloroplast

• It is a cell organelle present only in plant cells.
• They are the sites of photosynthesis.

Evidence

The fact that mitochondria are found in all eukaryotes but chloroplasts are only found in green plants capable of making their own food by photosynthesis is evidence that mitochondria were introduced long earlier than chloroplasts in the original eukaryotes.