Final answer:
The correct answer is C. A bacterial cell receives two adjacent genes on a single piece of DNA from the medium. Cotransformation is a type of genetic transfer that results in bacterial cells acquiring new traits, like antibiotic resistance, by incorporating environmental DNA into their genome.
Step-by-step explanation:
The true statement about cotransformation is: C. A bacterial cell receives two adjacent genes on a single piece of DNA from the medium. Cotransformation involves the uptake of DNA from the environment that has been released by another cell. This DNA is then incorporated into the recipient cell's genome, allowing for the expression of new traits. In the context of antibiotic resistance, cotransformation can be a mechanism through which resistance genes spread within a bacterial population. This is because sometimes, multiple genes can be located close together on a piece of DNA, and if this DNA is taken up by a recipient cell, the cell could acquire resistance to multiple antibiotics simultaneously.
The related processes of genetic transfer in bacteria, such as conjugation, transformation, and transduction, are crucial for bacterial adaptation and evolution. Conjugation involves the direct transfer of DNA between two bacteria via a sex pilus, while transformation involves bacteria picking up DNA from their environment. Transduction is a process where bacterial DNA is transferred from one bacterium to another by a bacteriophage (a virus that infects bacteria).