Final answer:
Bacterial transformation is the uptake of foreign DNA by bacterial cells, which can alter their genetic makeup and lead to changes in their physiological traits.
Step-by-step explanation:
Bacterial Transformation
Bacterial transformation is the process by which a bacterial cell takes up foreign DNA from its surroundings. This DNA can come from other lysed bacterial cells and can either remain separate within the cell as a plasmid or become incorporated into the host bacterial chromosome, potentially altering its phenotype and capabilities. For example, if a nonpathogenic bacterium takes up a gene for toxin production from a pathogenic bacterium and incorporates this new DNA, it can become pathogenic itself. This is just one of three ways that prokaryotes can exchange DNA, the other two being transduction, where a bacteriophage carries DNA from one bacterium to another, and conjugation, where DNA is transferred between cells through a pilus.