Fig. 3.

Localized recombinant architecture suggests different mechanisms that generate two potential levels of diversity. A single contiguous tract of donor DNA that has recombined into the transconjugant genome exemplifies large chunk exchange, which usually replaces the orthologous tract of recipient DNA and can also result in acquisition of novel genes (red arrow, left panel). Microcomplexity is likely generated by repair mechanisms that alternate between available donor and recipient templates, incorporating SNPs from each in quick succession. Collectively, these disparate recombination architectures can bring in new operons—and the pathways they encode—or make minor adjustments in regulatory elements or individual proteins. Modified from (Derbyshire & Gray, 2014).