Final answer:
Phage DNA of a temperate (not virulent) phage that integrates into the bacterial chromosome in the lysogenic cycle is passed on to the bacterium's daughter cells. Under stressful conditions, the prophage may excise and enter the lytic cycle. The term 'virulent phage' typically refers to phages that only undergo the lytic cycle and do not integrate into the host genome.
Step-by-step explanation:
In biology, when discussing a virulent phage, we refer to a virus that infects and replicates within a bacterium, often leading to the death of the host cell. In a lysogenic cycle, a temperate phage's DNA integrates into the bacterial chromosome and becomes a prophage. This prophage is then replicated along with the host's DNA and passed on to new daughter cells. However, under certain stressful conditions, the prophage may be excised and the phage will enter a lytic cycle, ultimately destroying the host cell and releasing new phage particles. This switch from lysogenic to lytic is often triggered by environmental factors such as starvation or exposure to toxic chemicals.
Transduction is a process by which a phage can transfer genetic material between bacteria. During generalized transduction, random pieces of bacterial DNA are packaged into phage particles and can be introduced into other bacteria upon infection. Specialized transduction occurs when a prophage is imprecisely excised from the bacterial chromosome, carrying with it adjacent bacterial genes, and then enters the lytic cycle and infects a new host cell, where it may integrate and express those genes.
The original statement, 'In a virulent phage, Phage DNA is now part of the chromosome, it passes to _______', is partially incorrect because virulent phages typically only undergo the lytic cycle, not integrating into the host genome as stated. Instead, the phage DNA would just replicate within the host and destroy it. The concept the student may be referring to more closely aligns with temperate phages during the lysogenic cycle, where the integrated phage DNA (prophage) would be passed to the bacteria's daughter cells during cell division.