Why is it difficult to define "species" accurately when considering bacterial life forms? (Select all that apply)

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

All of the given options are correct and contribute to the difficulty in defining species accurately in bacterial life forms. Genome sizes can vary widely even in closely related bacterial strains, novel genes can be found only in some members of a species, bacteria do not reproduce sexually and therefore cannot be classified based on reproductive isolation and mutation is ongoing and can complicate sequence comparisons.

Why Is It Difficult to Define "Species" Accurately When Considering