Which term describes the transfer of genetic material between bacteria through a bacteriophage?

The term that describes the transfer of genetic material between bacteria through a bacteriophage is transduction. This process involves a bacteriophage, which is a virus that infects bacteria, accidentally carrying bacterial DNA from one bacterium to another during its lifecycle. When the bacteriophage infects a new bacterial cell, it can inject the previously acquired DNA into the new host, leading to genetic recombination and potential changes in the recipient bacterium's traits.

In the context of bacterial genetics, transduction is a significant mechanism of horizontal gene transfer, allowing for the spread of antibiotic resistance and other traits among bacterial populations. This contrasts with other processes like conjugation, where DNA is transferred directly from one bacterium to another through a physical connection (pilus), or transformation, where a bacterium takes up free, naked DNA from its environment. Replication refers to the process by which a bacterium duplicates its own genetic material, not the transfer of DNA between different organisms.