Question

The image shows a paramecium and a bacterium. One of these organisms is very good at rapidly adapting to environmental changes because it has the ability to take in stray genetic information from the environment. Which structure allows the organism to do this?

Answer 1

Genetic variation enables bacteria to adapt to changes in their environment. Since, bacteria reproduce asexually (binary fission), they can share genes (genetic transfer) via other mechanisms such as conjugation (exchange of genetic material through direct contact between two bacteria), transformation, and transduction(exchange of genetic material via bacteriophages).

Transformation is a process by which bacteria takes in DNA from its environment through the cell membrane.