What term describes the transfer of DNA fragments from a dead cell to a live, competent recipient cell?

The process in question is accurately labeled as transformation. Transformation refers specifically to the uptake and incorporation of free DNA fragments from the environment into a competent recipient cell. This process is significant in microbiology, as it allows for genetic changes and adaptations in bacterial populations.

In nature, this often occurs when dead bacterial cells lyse and release their DNA into the surroundings, which can then be absorbed by live cells that have the necessary molecular machinery to integrate the new genetic material into their own genome. This phenomenon is important in genetic engineering and antibiotic resistance studies, as it enables organisms to acquire new traits from their surroundings.

Transduction, in contrast, involves the transfer of DNA via a bacteriophage (virus), while conjugation requires direct cell-to-cell contact to exchange genetic material. Replication pertains to the process by which a cell duplicates its DNA before division, which is unrelated to the acquisition of new genetic material from the environment. Thus, transformation is the appropriate term to describe the specific process of DNA fragment transfer from a dead cell to a live, competent recipient cell.