Final answer:
An endosymbiotic process aided the development of eukaryotic cells by leading to the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts, which are now essential organelles for energy production and photosynthesis in these cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
How did an endosymbiotic process aid the development of eukaryotic cells? The answer is C) By contributing to the origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts. This process, known as endosymbiosis, involves a larger prokaryotic cell engulfing a smaller one, leading to a symbiotic relationship where the smaller cell provides benefits to the larger cell. Over time, these smaller cells, which excelled at breaking down waste materials for energy or using sunlight to make food, evolved into mitochondria and chloroplasts, respectively. These organelles became essential parts of eukaryotic cells, with mitochondria being involved in energy production and chloroplasts in photosynthesis. The theoretical framework for this evolutionary step was extensively analyzed by Lynn Margulis in the 1960s and has since gained wide acceptance due to genetic evidence showing close relations between the DNA of these organelles and certain prokaryotic cells.