Everyone knows the usual story of
evolution. An organism wishes to pass on its genes to the next generation must do so by surviving and reproducing in a dynamic environment. It must evade
predation, avoid the pitfalls
associated with weather, find enough food to make it to the next day and convince a partner (if the organism reproduces sexually)
to mate in order to pass on those genes. If the genes are well-suited to the context in which it evolved, then the next generation will be given the necessary tools to continue the same struggle. If the genes are not well-suited for some reason, or the environment or competition is too harsh, then the survival of the organism becomes questionable. This story works because of a mechanism we will call
Vertical Gene Transfer (VGT). This is where genes are passed from parent to offspring through reproduction.
So, in light of this scientific truth, it may be surprising to know that VGT isn't the only game in town. There is a thing in the world called
Horizontal Gene Transfer (HGT). Certain organisms are capable, it seems, of exchanging genes in ways that
DO NOT involve the standard sexual or asexual reproduction model. There are several different ways in which HGT can happen:
