sexuality in bacteria

[Ken Kinman]

Don,
    I could have argued the case about sexuality in forms (like bacteria),
where asexuality predominates, but I didn't think it was necessary (and
would just have distracted people from the main point).  One doesn't even
have to go beyond the insects to realize the exaggeration in saying that
sexual reproduction is limited to a "small group of organisms".  And even
among those insects regarded as asexual, many apparently have sex from time
to time.
    I really don't know much about conjugation or other forms of "sex" in
bacteria, or if it would be useful for delimiting species.  The amount of
bacterial conjugation may be underestimated, but I doubt that it will ever
have much of an impact on bacterial taxonomy (but who knows).
                      -------Ken

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