List out the general characters of bacteria.

Explanation

(i) They are prokaryotic organisms and lack nuclear membrane and membrane bound organelles.
(ii) The genetic material is called nucleoid or genophore or incipient nucleus.
(iii) The cell wall is made up of polysaccharides and proteins.
(iv) Most of them lack chlorophyll, hence they are heterotrophic (Vibrio cholerae) but some are autotrophic and possess Bacteriochlorophyll (Chromatium).
(v) They reproduce vegetatively by binary fission and endospore formation.
(vi) They exhibit variations which are due to genetic recombination and is achieved through conjugation, transformation and transduction.