genetic transfer
For natural selection to take place, organisms must vary in their traits. Asexual reproduction results in offspring that are all the same. They are also identical to the parent cell. So how can prokaryotes increase genetic variation? They can exchange plasmids. This is called genetic transfer . It may happen by direct contact between cells. Or a "bridge" may form between cells. Genetic transfer mixes the genes of different cells. It creates new combinations of alleles.