Genetics: Analysis and Principles 5th Edition by Robert Brooker

Exercise 5

Each species of bacteria has its own distinctive cell surface. The characteristics of the cell surface play an important role in processes such as conjugation and transduction. For example, certain strains of E. coli have pili on their cell surface. These pili enable E. coli to conjugate with other E. coli, and the pili also enable certain bacteriophages (such as M13) to bind to the surface of E. coli and gain entry into the cytoplasm. With these ideas in mind, explain which forms of genetic transfer (i.e., conjugation, transduction, and transformation) are more likely to occur between different species of bacteria. Discuss some of the potential consequences of interspecies genetic transfer.