[Campbell Biology P.231] Which of the following statements best explains the evolutionary si... | Practice Question

Which of the following statements best explains the evolutionary significance of glycolysis?

  • A: Glycolysis requires membrane-enclosed organelles, indicating its evolution alongside eukaryotes.
  • B: Its widespread presence among Earth's organisms and cytosolic location suggest it is an ancient metabolic pathway, predating significant atmospheric oxygen.
  • C: Glycolysis evolved primarily as a pathway for anaerobic respiration to consume oxygen.
  • D: It is exclusively found in prokaryotes, demonstrating its primitive nature.

Explanation

The text highlights that glycolysis is the 'most widespread metabolic pathway among Earth's organisms' and its 'cytosolic location also implies great antiquity; the pathway does not require any of the membrane-enclosed organelles of the eukaryotic cell, which evolved approximately 1 billion years after the first prokaryotic cell.' This suggests that glycolysis evolved very early, before the significant accumulation of atmospheric oxygen and the evolution of eukaryotic organelles, making it a fundamental and ancient pathway.