Genetics: Analysis and Principles 5th Edition by Robert Brooker

Exercise 54

Researchers who study the molecular mechanism of transformation have identified many proteins in bacteria that function in the uptake of DNA from the environment and its recombination into the host cell's chromosome. This means that bacteria have evolved molecular mechanisms for the purpose of transformation by extracellular DNA. What advantage(s) does a bacterium derive from importing DNA from the environment and/or incorporating it into its chromosome