Question

How do bacteria change and adapt?

Answer 1

Bacteria need to adapt to the new environment so that the bacteria can adjust to the enzyme levels. They need to benefit from the nutrient mix that is available in the surrounding. It changes by exchanging, absorbing or losing genetic material.

Complete answer:
Bacteria undergo an exchange of genetic material. Here a tube is formed between two bacteria and genetic material is passed between them. They create two new forms of the related bacteria which allow genetic variation. This may help the bacteria adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Bacteria can also absorb genetic material from the bacteria which is dead. The bacterial DNA is the carrier of genetic material which is responsible for genetic variation in bacteria.
Bacteria can adapt and change by losing their key genetic material. This loss of genetic material allows the bacteria to adapt to new hostile environments.

Most of the changes occur due to-
• They have very fast replication times. The more replications, the more chances for mutations.
• They are relatively simple. The more simple is the cell, it is less likely to get affected by a new mutation. Less will it be messed up with some complex interacting chain of genetic effects, and be selected against by those secondary interactions.
• They engage in a lot of lateral gene exchange, meaning they can acquire already working genes, previously honed by the selection, from other bacteria, and do not have to wait for de novo mutations to occur.

Note: The extent of bacterial adaptation is quite limited. They are able to evolve quickly in certain directions, but they cannot evolve very far. In $800000$ years, animals went from a microscopic colonial ball of cells to humans, bats, jumping spiders, earthworms, and octopi, while in $3.5$ billion years’ bacteria went from microscopic rods and spheres to microscopic rods and spheres.