Answer:
The bacteria that survived were transformed with a plasmid that contains the resistance gene for ampicillin
Explanation:
1. Specially prepared bacteria are mixed with DNA (e.g., from a ligation).
2. The bacteria are given a heat shock, which causes some of them to take up a plasmid.
3. Plasmids used in cloning contain an antibiotic resistance gene. Thus, all of the bacteria are placed on an antibiotic plate to select for ones that took up a plasmid.
4. The plasmid contains an antibiotic resistance gene, a promoter to drive gene expression in bacteria, and the target gene inserted during the ligation.
5. Bacteria without a plasmid die. Each bacterium with a plasmid gives rise to a cluster of identical, plasmid-containing bacteria called a colony.
