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 …

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 …

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 …

The'plasmid paradox'arises because, although plasmids are common features of bacterial
genomes, theoretically they should not exist: rates of conjugation were believed insufficient …

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

Plasmid acquisition is an important mechanism of rapid adaptation and niche expansion in
prokaryotes. Positive selection for plasmid-coded functions is a major driver of plasmid …

Broad-host-range (BHR) IncP-1 plasmids have the ability to transfer between and replicate
in nearly all species of the Alpha-, Beta-and Gammaproteobacteria, but surprisingly few data …

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 …

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