Final answer:
The most likely way that one type of galaxy forms from others is through the merger of smaller galaxies and the rapid collapse of gas and dark matter, as well as the slow accretion of matter from other galaxies.
Such complex processes can be categorized as top-down and bottom-up mechanisms of galaxy formation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most likely way that one type of galaxy may be formed from others involves a number of different processes, often described in models such as the top-down and bottom-up scenarios. Under the top-down scenario, massive elliptical galaxies are believed to have formed rapidly, with a collapse of gas and dark matter leading to a quick conversion of all the gas into stars. Afterwards, these galaxies underwent only slow changes as the stars evolved.
In contrast, the bottom-up scenario suggests that today's giant ellipticals resulted mostly from the mergers of smaller galaxies that had already formed some stars. This is supported by evidence that many spiral galaxies, including our own Milky Way, are still capturing smaller galaxies and adding them to their halo, and even drawing in fresh gas from these galaxies into their disk.
When considering all observations collectively, it appears that the giant elliptical galaxies we observe formed from a combination of both top-down and bottom-up mechanisms.
The most massive galaxies in the densest clusters possibly formed very early and swiftly in the universe's history, incorporating both processes.