Mutation and its role in evolution: A beginners guide

An often overlooked concept that has the potential to cause genetic changes in organisms is horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Rather then just letting organisms undergo single-base mutations, duplications and such, HGT allows for the transfer, from one organism to another, of anything from short stretches of DNA up to hundreds of genes - all in one go. Mechanisms/vectors such as homologous recombination, plasmids and integrons have been shown to sometimes be the most important ways bacteria adapt to environmental change, such as exposure to antibiotics.