Exclusivity offers a sound yet practical species criterion for bacteria despite abundant gene flow

Abstract Background The question of whether bacterial species objectively exist has long divided microbiologists. A major source of contention stems from the fact that bacteria regularly engage in horizontal gene transfer (HGT), making it difficult to ascertain relatedness and draw boundaries betwee...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Erik S Wright, David A. Baum
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2018-10-01
Series:BMC Genomics
Subjects:
Online Access:http://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12864-018-5099-6