What is the process by which bacteria take up foreign DNA from their environment?

The process by which bacteria take up foreign DNA from their environment is known as transformation. During transformation, competent bacteria can directly uptake naked DNA fragments released by other bacteria into their surrounding environment. This typically occurs under specific conditions in which the bacterial cell membrane becomes permeable to large molecules or DNA. Once the foreign DNA is inside the bacterial cell, it can integrate into the host genome or remain as a plasmid, thus conferring new genetic traits to the bacterium.

This method plays a significant role in genetic diversity among bacteria and is a key mechanism for horizontal gene transfer, enabling them to acquire traits such as antibiotic resistance or new metabolic capabilities. Understanding transformation is crucial in microbiology, as it has applications in genetic engineering and biotechnology, where scientists deliberately induce transformation to apply desirable traits to bacteria.