Nucleomorph

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/nucleomorph

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific classification?Vestigial eukaryotic nucleus within complex plastids
2. What is the primary association?Found in plastids of cryptophytes and chlorarachniophytes
3. Why do nucleomorphs exist inside some algae?They exist because a host cell once swallowed an algae cell in a process called secondary endosymbiosis. The swallowed cell’s nucleus stayed inside the new organelle and became very small.
4. How big is a nucleomorph compared to a normal nucleus?A nucleomorph is much smaller than a normal nucleus. It has lost most of its DNA and keeps only the genes needed for the plastid.

Secondary Endosymbiosis: The process where a eukaryotic cell engulfs another eukaryotic cell, leading to complex organelles.
Genome Reduction: The evolutionary process by which an organism's genome decreases in size.
Phylogenetics: The study of evolutionary relationships among biological entities, often based on genetic data.