Horizontal Gene Transfer Can Occur by All of the Following

Question

Horizontal gene transfer can occur by all of the following EXCEPT
A) plasmid acquisition.
B) transposable genetic elements.
C) bacteriophage infection.
D) transformation processes.
E) parent to offspring.

Accepted Answer

Horizontal gene transfer refers to the transfer of genetic information between different organisms that are not related by descent, so parent to offspring transmission is not considered horizontal gene transfer. The remaining four options are all ways in which horizontal gene transfer can occur. Therefore, the answer is E.