Which statement does not support the endosymbiotic theory?

A. Mitochondria and chloroplasts reproduce independently from the cell.

B. Mitochondria and chloroplasts contain their own ribosomes.

C. Mitochondria and chloroplasts have DNA that resembles bacterial DNA.

D. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are much larger than prokaryotic cells.

Answer

The statement that does not support the endosymbiotic theory is:

D. Mitochondria and chloroplasts are much larger than prokaryotic cells.

Description:

The endosymbiotic theory suggests that mitochondria and chloroplasts originated as free-living prokaryotic organisms that were engulfed by a primitive eukaryotic cell. This theory is supported by several observations:

In contrast, D does not support the endosymbiotic theory because the size comparison does not provide evidence for the proposed evolutionary relationship. In fact, mitochondria and chloroplasts are generally smaller than eukaryotic cells and can be similar in size to some prokaryotic cells. Thus, being "much larger" would contradict what is observed in prokaryotic cells and does not have any direct relevance to the theory of their origin.