alleryStart learning →What is the likely order of appearance of glycolysis and photosynthesis in the history of life?
APhotosynthesis probably came first
BGlycolysis probably came first
CBoth probably appeared together
DNeither order can be suggested
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: B. Glycolysis probably came first
1. The first cells are thought to have arisen in an aqueous soup of nutrients.
2. The development of glycolysis probably predated the evolution of photosynthesis.
3. Glycolysis was well suited to extracting energy from materials that accumulated spontaneously in that soup.
4. Nearly all organisms on earth still carry out some form of glycolysis, which fits an early origin.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 7 "Cellular Respiration", section 7.6 Connections of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Lipid Metabolic Pathways_
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