The statement transformation is a mode of genetic recombination in which a plasmid is transferred from a donor cell to a recipient cell via a direct connection is false .
Transformation is a mode of genetic recombination, but the statement misrepresents the process.
Transformation is a natural process in which a cell takes up genetic material from its environment and incorporates it into its own genome.
It is not typically associated with a direct connection between a donor cell and a recipient cell.
In bacterial transformation, for example, a bacterial cell can take up free DNA from its surroundings, such as the release of genetic material from a lysed cell or the presence of extracellular DNA.
This extracellular DNA may be in the form of plasmids, which are small, circular DNA molecules separate from the chromosomal DNA.
During transformation, the recipient cell internalizes the foreign DNA and incorporates it into its own genetic material.
If the DNA contains functional genes, the recipient cell may express those genes and acquire new traits.
The statement appears to confuse transformation with other mechanisms of genetic recombination, such as conjugation.
Conjugation involves the transfer of genetic material from a donor cell to a recipient cell through direct physical contact, often facilitated by a conjugative plasmid.
Unlike transformation, conjugation requires a connection between the two cells, typically mediated by a sex pilus.
The given statement is false as it inaccurately describes the process of transformation, which does not involve a direct connection between a donor and a recipient cell.