Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Do bacteria have sex?

R J Redfield1

  • 1Rosemary J. Redfield is at the Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada V6T 1Z4. redfield@interchange.ubc.ca

Nature Reviews. Genetics
|August 3, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

The Problem of the Evolution of Sex.

The Biological bulletin·2017
Same author

Bacterial DNA uptake sequences can accumulate by molecular drive alone.

Genetics·2010
Same author

Coevolution of DNA uptake sequences and bacterial proteomes.

Genome biology and evolution·2010
Same author

Evolutionary stability of DNA uptake signal sequences in the Pasteurellaceae.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2004
Same author

Oxymonads are closely related to the excavate taxon Trimastix.

Molecular biology and evolution·2001
Same author

Competence development by Haemophilus influenzae is regulated by the availability of nucleic acid precursors.

Molecular microbiology·2001
Same journal

Genetic origins and constraints of evolutionary innovation.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same journal

Single-cell four-omics with CHARM.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same journal

Molecular integration of seasonal temperature signals in flowering time control.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same journal

RBPscan measures protein-RNA interactions in living cells.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same journal

Revisiting retinal and macular degeneration in the genomics era.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
Same journal

How evolution builds three morphs from one genome.

Nature reviews. Genetics·2026
See all related articles

Bacteria possess genes for genetic exchange, a trait widely assumed to arise from natural selection. This fundamental concept in microbiology has been uncritically accepted for generations.

Area of Science:

  • Microbiology
  • Population Genetics
  • Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • The prevailing view posits that bacterial genes facilitating genetic exchange evolved due to natural selection.
  • This widely accepted notion is perpetuated across numerous biology, microbiology, and genetics textbooks.

Discussion:

  • This abstract questions the long-held assumption that natural selection is the sole driver for the evolution of bacterial genetic exchange mechanisms.
  • It highlights a critical gap in the scientific literature, where this assumption has not been rigorously examined.

Key Insights:

  • Bacterial genetic exchange mechanisms may have origins beyond simple natural selection.
  • The perpetuation of this assumption in educational materials warrants critical re-evaluation.

Related Experiment Videos

Outlook:

  • Future research should investigate alternative evolutionary pressures or mechanisms driving the development of bacterial genetic exchange.
  • A deeper, evidence-based understanding of bacterial evolution is needed.