Biology of Business

Cell Biology

Eukaryote

By Alex Denne

Complex cells containing a nucleus and specialized organelles—the result of ancient mergers that created entirely new capabilities. Every plant, animal, fungus, and protist is a eukaryote.

Used in the Books

This term appears in 1 chapter:

Adaptation and Evolution Mutation Rates

"...se (the enzyme copying DNA during cell division) makes mistakes at a baseline rate. In bacteria, it's ~10^-10 errors per base pair per generation. In eukaryotes, ~10^-9. This sounds negligible, but across billions of cells and billions of base pairs, it generates substantial variation."

Biological Context

Eukaryotic cells arose approximately two billion years ago when prokaryotes engulfed other prokaryotes that became mitochondria and chloroplasts (endosymbiosis). This allowed larger, more complex cells—10,000 to 100,000 times the volume of typical bacteria—and eventually multicellular life. The compartmentalization of eukaryotic cells enables complex biochemistry impossible in prokaryotes.

Related Terms

Prokaryote Mitochondria Endosymbiosis Symbiosis

Related Mechanisms

Mutualism Symbiosis

Tags

cell-biologyclassificationfundamentalmergers

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