Final answer:
The specific site on the bacterial chromosome where DNA replication begins is called the origin of replication, also known as oriC in prokaryotic cells like E. coli, which is necessary for the initiation of DNA synthesis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The specific site on the bacterial chromosome at which DNA replication begins is called the origin of replication. In prokaryotic cells such as E. coli, this site is often referred to as oriC. It is a particular DNA sequence that is rich in adenine-thymine (AT) pairs and spans approximately 245 base pairs. Proteins recognize this sequence and bind to it to initiate the process of DNA replication. During this process, an enzyme named helicase unwinds the DNA, allowing replication forks to form and DNA polymerase to start synthesizing new strands in the 5' to 3' direction. In contrast to prokaryotes, eukaryotic cells have multiple origins of replication. The initiation of DNA replication is a critical step in the cell cycle, leading to the duplication of the entire genome before a cell divides.