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

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 …

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 …

It is difficult to understand plasmid maintenance in the absence of selection and theoretical
models predict the conditions for plasmid persistence to be limited. Plasmid-associated …

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

Plasmids have a key role in bacterial ecology and evolution because they mobilize
accessory genes by horizontal gene transfer. However, recent studies have revealed that …

Despite the near-ubiquity of plasmids in bacterial populations and the profound contribution
of infectious gene transfer to the adaptation and evolution of bacteria, the mechanisms …

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

Extra-chromosomal genetic elements are important drivers of bacterial evolution, and their
evolutionary success depends on positive selection for the genes they encode. Examples …

Naturally occurring plasmids have medical importance given that they frequently code for
virulence or antibiotic resistance. In many cases, plasmids impose a fitness cost to their …