According to my completely uninformed, pet theory that I pulled out of my nether regions - yes.

I like your theory. And if true, I find it entirely likely that the larger organism wouldn't have any idea that its sub-organisms were conscious - or perhaps that they even exist at all. The sub-organism environments might just be too damn small - like sub-particle small.

Then again I'm just riffing and have no idea what the hell I'm talking about.

My pet theory is that if you zoomed out far enough, we're all (meaning us and any other distant life) sub-organisms that make up a much, much larger organism...and in turn, that larger organism is a sub-organism of another much, much, much, much larger organism.