Comparative genomics is revealing extensive diversity within many bacterial species. The
pan-genome of a species is composed of core genes present in all strains and dispensable …

Highlights•Natural competence can lead to the transfer of large genomic
regions.•Competent bacteria protect incoming DNA from degradation.•Several drug-resistant …

The effect of homologous recombination (HR) on the evolution of microbial genomes
remains contentious as competing hypotheses seek to explain the evolutionary dynamics of …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) has a crucial role in microbial evolution, in shaping the
structure and function of microbial communities and in controlling a myriad of environmental …

Background The contribution of a gene to the fitness of a bacterium can be assayed by
whether and to what degree the bacterium tolerates transposon insertions in that gene. We …

The scope and impact of horizontal gene transfer (HGT) in Bacteria and Archaea has grown
from a topic largely ignored by the microbiological community to a hot‐button issue gaining …

Bacteria are nonsexual organisms but are capable of exchanging DNA at diverse degrees
through homologous recombination. Intriguingly, the rates of recombination vary immensely …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) events encompass processes as varied as the exchange of
genetic material between microbes coexisting in the same environment, between symbiotic …

The genetic diversity of bacteria results not only from errors in DNA replication and repair but
from horizontal exchange and recombination of DNA sequences from similar and disparate …

Lateral genetic transfer (LGT) is a major source of phenotypic innovation among bacteria.
Determinants for antibiotic resistance and other adaptive traits can spread rapidly …