The formation of the eukaryotic cell was the second most important (after the appearance of life itself) evolutionary event. The main and fundamental difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotic organisms is the presence of a more perfect genome system. Thanks to the appearance and development of the cell nucleus, the degree of adaptability of unicellular organisms to regularly changing conditions of existence and the ability to quickly adapt without introducing significant hereditary changes into the gene system have sharply increased.
The eukaryotic cell, whose cytoplasm is an area of active metabolic processes, successfully separated from the zone of storage, reading and reduplication of genetic information, turned out to be capable of further biological evolution. This epochal and fateful evolutionary event, according to scientists, occurred no later than 2.6 billion years ago at the junction of two geological milestones - Archean and Proterozoic.
The growth of adaptability and stability of biological structures is a sine qua non for full biological evolution. It was precisely by its high ability to adapt that the eukaryotic cell was able to evolve to multicellular organisms with a complex structural organization. Indeed, in multicellular biological systems, cells with the same genome, adapting to changing conditions, form tissues that are completely different, both in their morphological properties and in functionality. This is the great evolutionary victory of eukaryotes, which led to the emergence of such a grandiose variety of life forms on the planet and the entry into the evolutionary arena of man himself.
The structure of eukaryotic type cells has several characteristic features that are not characteristic of prokaryotes. The eukaryotic cell contains a large amount of genetic material (90%), which is concentrated in chromosomal structures, which ensures their differentiation and specialization. Any eukaryotic cell is characterized by the presence of a separate nucleus. This is the main distinguishing feature of this cell type. Another important difference from prokaryotes is the organelles of a eukaryotic cell - constant and diverse intracellular structures.
The eukaryotic cell, in comparison with the prokaryotic cell, has a more complex multi-stage system of perception of various substances. In nature, there is no typical universal cell of the eukaryotic type. All of themcharacterized by incredible diversity, which is due precisely to the need for evolutionary adaptation. A very important feature of eukaryotes is their inherent compartmentalization - the localization of all biochemical processes in separate cell compartments separated by an intracellular membrane. Eukaryotes have a number of complex structural components. Such as the membrane system; cytoplasmic matrix, which is the main intracellular substance; cell organelles are the main functional components of eukaryotes.
