Horizontal gene transfer

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/horizontal-gene-transfer

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. How It Works?Genetic material is exchanged between unrelated organisms, not solely through vertical inheritance
2. What is the applications?Critical for understanding antibiotic resistance, microbial adaptation, and in genetic engineering/biotechnology
3. How do bacteria share genes with each other?Bacteria can share genes by picking up DNA from the air (transformation), by viruses that accidentally carry DNA (transduction), or by touching each other and swapping DNA (conjugation).
4. Why is horizontal gene transfer important for bacteria?It lets bacteria learn new tricks quickly, like using new foods or resisting medicines. This helps them survive in many places.

Prokaryote: A single-celled organism lacking a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles.
Bacteriophage: A virus that infects and replicates within bacteria, often acting as a vector for HGT.
Conjugative Plasmid: A plasmid that can be transferred from one bacterium to another during conjugation.