Question

One hypothesis that has been proposed to explain the development of viruses suggests that viruses were beneficial because they allowed for rapid gene transfer, especially in prokaryotic cells, and therefore increased genetic diversity. If most bacteriophages were temperate, then this could have increased horizontal gene transfer between prokaryotic cells and potentially could have increased fitness. With respect to this hypothesis, why would it matter whether the bacteriophages were temperate or virulent?

a. Temperate phages are capable of lysogeny and their genetic material can be integrated into the host genome, causing damage rather than increasing fitness.

b. Virulent phages are capable of lysogeny and their genetic material can be integrated into the host genome, causing damage rather than increasing fitness

c. Temperate bacteriophages are capable of both horizontal and vertical gene transfer, allowing a wide range of ways to increase genetic diversity. Virulent bacteriophages are not capable of either.

d. Temperate phages don't immediately kill their hosts.

Answer 1

Temperate phages don't immediately kill their hosts.

Step-by-step explanation:

There exist phages that have shown the capability to alternate lytic and lysogenic life cycles, where don't kill the host cell. This feature allows a phage to reproduce without killing the host cells, thereby having higher probabilities of replicating its genetic material