The restriction enzymes of bacteria protect the bacteria from successful attack by bacteriophages,whose genomes can be degraded by the restriction enzymes.The bacterial genomes are not vulnerable to these restriction enzymes because bacterial DNA is methylated.This situation selects for bacteriophages whose genomes are also methylated.As new strains of resistant bacteriophages become more prevalent,this in turn selects for bacteria whose genomes are not methylated and whose restriction enzymes instead degrade methylated DNA.The outcome of the conflict between bacteria and bacteriophage at any point in time results from

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The ongoing conflict between bacteria and bacteriophages results from frequency-dependent selection, as the prevalence of one trait (e.g., methylated DNA in bacteria or methylated genomes in bacteriophages) affects the selective advantage of another trait (e.g., unmethylated DNA in bacteria or unmethylated genomes in bacteriophages). This creates a cycling pattern of selection that ultimately maintains genetic diversity in both populations. The other options, such as evolutionary imbalance, heterozygote advantage, or neutral variation, do not fully capture the dynamics of this co-evolutionary process.

The Restriction Enzymes of Bacteria Protect the Bacteria from Successful