The Endosymbiosis Theory and Eukaryotesc In the origin of the eukaryotes, endosymbiosis a) is thought to explain the origin of the nucleus. b) describes the engulfing of a photosynthetic bacterium that ultimately gave rise to the mitochondria c) most likely began with a free-living prokaryote entering the cell as undigested prey d) most likely began with a viral infection of the host cell