Answer:
The correct answer is: conjugation.
Explanation:
Bacteria are organisms capable of exchanging information with other individuals of their species, and they can do so through many mechanisms.
Conjugation is one of the ways in which bacteria can exchange information.
Conjugation refers to the transfer of DNA thanks to the direct contact between two bacteria and is mediated by plasmids (DNA molecules that are not chromosomal and locate in the bacterium's cytoplasm).
The conjugative plasmid resides in the donor cell. This donor cell produces a sex pilus that attaches to the recipient cell and thus they communicate to transmit the DNA from the donor to the recipient.
This process has clinical relevance since conjugation may increase the number of drug-resistant bacteria.
