A culture of E. coli bacteria is used to establish several subcultures. Each subculture is then plated and individual colonies that grow on the agar plates are then tested for their sensitivity to the bacteriophage T1. There is a spectrum of sensitivities where some plates have a high number of resistant colonies and some plates had very few. This data supports which theory?
A) Physiological adaptation theory
B) Random mutation theory
C) Both theories
D) Neither theory

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The variability in sensitivity to bacteriophage T1 can be best explained by the random mutation theory, which posits that mutations occur randomly within a population, leading to variations in traits such as antibiotic resistance or viral susceptibility. The physiological adaptation theory, on the other hand, proposes that organisms actively adjust their physiology in response to environmental changes, which cannot account for the observed variability in sensitivity to bacteriophage T1 in this experiment. Therefore, choice B is the best answer.

A Culture of E