The evolutionary origins of hydrogenosomes have been the subject of considerable debate. From early days it was apparent that hydrogenosomes had evolved on multiple occasions in different eukaryotes, but from which progenitor organelle or endosymbiont was unresolved. It is already apparent from the contributions to this volume, that identifying the genetic contribution to eukaryotes of the mitochondrial endosymbiosis, and revealing the functions of its descendent organelles, are key to understanding eukaryotic biology and evolution. This book closes the gap between the endosymbiotic theory for the origin of organelles and their incorporation into evolutionary theory.

The Road to Hydrogenosomes

Mitochondria: Key to Complexity
Origin, Function, and Transmission of Mitochondria
Mitochondria and Their Host: Morphology to Molecular Phylogeny
Anaerobic Mitochondria: Properties and Origins
Iron-Sulfur Proteins and Iron-Sulfur Cluster Assembly in Organisms with Hydrogenosomes and Mitosomes
Hydrogenosomes (and Related Organelles, Either) Are Not the Same
The Chimaeric Origin of Mitochondria: Photosynthetic Cell Enslavement, Gene-Transfer Pressure, and Compartmentation Efficiency
Constantin Merezhkowsky and the Endokaryotic Hypothesis
The Diversity of Mitochondrion-Related Organelles Amongst Eukaryotic Microbes
Mitosomes of Parasitic Protozoa: Biology and Evolutionary Significance.