Evolution

How this section works

Study the lesson, practice with the interactive tasks, and then test yourself with real Olympiad questions from past years. For each lesson, we list the exact Olympiad question(s) you’ll be ready to answer.

1. Symbiosis
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:

In many systems of mutualistic symbiosis, one of the partners is a eukaryotic organism and the other is a prokaryote. Provide at least three different examples of such symbiotic systems, indicating which groups of prokaryotes and eukaryotes are involved. What are the benefits for each of the symbionts in your examples? What is the ecological importance of these symbioses in the ecosystems where they occur?

2. Symbiogenesis
Olympiad questions you’ll be ready to answer:

The theory of symbiogenesis suggests the origin of certain organelles in the eukaryotic cell from prokaryotic intracellular symbionts. Which organelles could have arisen in this way? What arguments could you present in favor of this hypothesis? And what arguments against it?