Final answer:
The scenario where only one daughter cell from a transformed bacterial cell contains new genetic material after division is most likely due to the uneven segregation of plasmids during binary fission.
Step-by-step explanation:
The situation where only one of the two resulting cells from a transformed bacterial cell contains new genetic material can be attributed to segregation of plasmids. During transformation, a bacterium can take up new DNA from its environment; this DNA may integrate into the bacterial chromosome or exist as a plasmid. If the new DNA is in the form of a plasmid, it is possible that after cell division, the plasmid isn't replicated or equally distributed between the two daughter cells. Therefore, one cell ends up with the plasmid, and the other does not, leading to a situation where only one cell possesses the new genetic traits.
Binary fission is the process by which bacterial cells divide. A single circular DNA chromosome replicates and is allocated into each new daughter cell; the cytoplasmic contents are also divided to provide both new cells with the cellular machinery required for life. Since this division is mostly symmetrical and the genomic DNA is replicated, the scenario in question is more likely the result of plasmid-based DNA not being replicated or segregating unevenly between the two cells created through binary fission.