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Even though bacteria reproduce asexually, they don’t remain unchanged across generations. In the original population, some bacteria likely had small random mutations that made them slightly more heat-tolerant, even if the trait wasn’t obvious at first. When exposed to heat, most bacteria died, but these few survived.
Since bacteria reproduce by cloning, the survivors passed this heat-tolerant trait to their offspring. By the seventh generation, most of the population descended from these survivors, making heat tolerance appear like a new trait. In reality, it’s the result of natural selection acting on random mutations, not learning or intentional adaptation.
In a population of bacteria reproducing asexually, adaptive traits like heat resistance can emerge through mutations and natural selection, even without direct sexual reproduction. Here’s how the process works:
1. Mutation: When bacteria reproduce, random mutations occasionally occur in their DNA. Some mutations may provide beneficial traits, such as heat resistance. While rare, if a mutation for heat resistance arises, it can offer an advantage in hot environments.
2. Selection: If the bacteria are exposed to heat over generations, those with the heat-resistant mutation will have a survival advantage, allowing them to thrive while others perish.
3. Proliferation of Advantageous Traits: Since bacteria reproduce quickly and can create numerous generations in a short time, beneficial mutations (like heat resistance) spread rapidly through the population. By the seventh generation, many bacteria may carry the heat-resistant trait.
In this way, through mutation and selection, an initially absent trait like heat resistance can become common in later generations.