What is bacterial transformation?

Bacterial transformation is a process in which a bacterium takes up free-floating DNA from its environment and incorporates it into its own genome. This foreign DNA can come from the surrounding environment, often originating from dead bacterial cells that have released their genetic material. Once the DNA is taken up, the bacterium may integrate it into its own chromosomal DNA or maintain it as an extrachromosomal plasmid. This can result in the acquisition of new traits, such as antibiotic resistance, depending on the nature of the foreign DNA. Unlike conjugation, which requires cell-to-cell contact, transformation relies on the ability of the bacterium to take in DNA from the environment.