Final answer:
Transduction involves the transfer of bacterial DNA by a bacteriophage during the lytic or lysogenic cycle. Generalized transduction occurs during the lytic cycle and can transfer any bacterial DNA, whereas specialized transduction occurs when a prophage exits the lysogenic cycle and transfers specific bacterial DNA near the viral integration site.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transduction is the process where a bacteriophage, or phage, transfers bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another during sequential infections. There are two forms of transduction: generalized transduction and specialized transduction. In generalized transduction, any piece of chromosomal DNA may be transferred by accidental packaging into a phage head during phage assembly. This can happen during the lytic cycle when the phage hijacks the host cell's machinery to produce more viruses and accidentally packages a piece of the host's DNA into a new phage head.
In contrast, specialized transduction occurs at the end of the lysogenic cycle. The prophage, which is the viral DNA integrated into the bacterial chromosome, may excise imprecisely when it switches to the lytic cycle, taking adjacent bacterial genes with it. This results in the transfer of specific pieces of the host's DNA, rather than random segments.
The phage life cycle associated with generalized transduction is the lytic cycle, while the life cycle associated with specialized transduction is the lysogenic cycle transitioning back to the lytic cycle. Through both processes, the recipient bacteria can acquire new genetic traits, such as antibiotic resistance or new metabolic capabilities.