Highlights•Plasmid evolution reviewed from the perspective of plasmids.•Mobility, stability,
and indispensability largely determine plasmid lifestyles.•Changes in plasmid traits facilitate …

Plasmids mediate the horizontal transmission of genetic information between bacteria,
facilitating their adaptation to multiple environmental conditions. An especially important …

Plasmids are autonomously replicating genetic elements that are ubiquitous in all taxa and
habitats where they constitute an integral part of microbial genomes. The stable inheritance …

Plasmids are genetic elements that play a role in bacterial evolution by providing new genes
that promote adaptation to diverse conditions. Plasmids are also known to reduce bacterial …

Plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer influences bacterial community structure and
evolution. However, an understanding of the forces which dictate the fate of plasmids in …

Evidence for gene non-functionalization due to mutational processes is found in genomes in
the form of pseudogenes. Pseudogenes are known to be rare in prokaryote chromosomes …

Plasmids contain a backbone of core genes that remains relatively stable for long
evolutionary periods, making sense to speak about plasmid species. The identification and …

Plasmids are extrachromosomal genetic elements in prokaryotes that have been recognized
as important drivers of microbial ecology and evolution. Plasmids are found in multiple …

Plasmids are extrachromosomal DNA elements that can be found throughout bacteria, as
well as in other domains of life. Nonetheless, the evolutionary processes underlying the …

Conjugation drives the horizontal transfer of adaptive traits across prokaryotes. One-fourth of
the plasmids encode the functions necessary to conjugate autonomously, the others being …