Question

Bacteria with the ability to break down certain types of plastic are placed with a colony of E. coli bacteria that lack this ability. Plasmid transfer occurs between the two colonies of bacteria and some of the E. coli gain the ability to break down plastic as well. What inference can be drawn about the nature of plasmids from this observation?

Answer 1

The answer is C

Plasmids are conferred through horizontal gene transfer in bacteria.  The ‘male’ bacteria develops a structure called pili that then attaches to the ‘female’ bacteria. It then transfers it’s replicated plasmid to the ‘female’ bacteria in a process called conjugation. This bacteria will hence have desirable traits that are coded for by the transferred genetic material ,such as antibiotic resistance, after a process called recombination.