I think you misread wikipedia when it talks about its endosymbioses. Whole bacteria are found within an organlle (the endoplasmic reticulum) of Trichoplaxs.
That being said what you described does happen in a number of organisms (including ‘complex’ ones like nudibranchs): they steal the chloroplasts from the algae they eat in a process called kleptoplasty. Seeing as mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as bacterial endosymbionts that were then heavily integrated into their hosts, calling kleptoplasty a form of symbiosis isn’t that unusual.
Yes but mitochondria live in the cytoplasm. I guess I don’t have much of a grasp of size differences that small so it blew me away to think to find a life form inside of the organelle of another lifeform… I thought things were too small at that scale.
I think you misread wikipedia when it talks about its endosymbioses. Whole bacteria are found within an organlle (the endoplasmic reticulum) of Trichoplaxs.
That being said what you described does happen in a number of organisms (including ‘complex’ ones like nudibranchs): they steal the chloroplasts from the algae they eat in a process called kleptoplasty. Seeing as mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as bacterial endosymbionts that were then heavily integrated into their hosts, calling kleptoplasty a form of symbiosis isn’t that unusual.
That is even more mind blowing to me
Then I have to ask if you were aware that mitochondria were originally external, invasive organisms
Yes but mitochondria live in the cytoplasm. I guess I don’t have much of a grasp of size differences that small so it blew me away to think to find a life form inside of the organelle of another lifeform… I thought things were too small at that scale.
Still fuckin crazy that they are in our DNA now.