Final answer:
Simple bacterial transposons can be inserted through either cut-and-paste transposition or replicative transposition mechanisms, both mediated by the enzyme transposase.
Step-by-step explanation:
There are two main mechanisms by which simple bacterial transposons are inserted: cut-and-paste transposition and replicative transposition. Cut-and-paste transposition involves removing a copy of the transposon from one location and inserting it into another location in the genome. Replicative transposition, on the other hand, leaves a copy of the transposon in its original location while inserting a new copy elsewhere in the genome. The transposition process is mediated by the enzyme transposase, which cuts the DNA, brings the transposon ends together, and inserts it into a new DNA site.