Bacteria

Bacteria are practically all invisible to the naked eye, with a few extremely rare exceptions, such asThiomargarita namibiensis.^[30] They lack membrane-bound organelles, and can function and reproduce as individual cells, but often aggregate in multicellular colonies.^[31] Their genome is usually a single loop ofDNA, although they can also harbor small pieces of DNA called plasmids. These plasmids can be transferred between cells through bacterial conjugation. Bacteria are surrounded by a cell wall, which provides strength and rigidity to their cells. They reproduce by binary fission or sometimes by budding, but do not undergo sexual reproduction. Some species form extraordinarily resilient spores, but for bacteria this is a mechanism for survival, not reproduction. Under optimal conditions bacteria can grow extremely rapidly and can double as quickly as every 10 minutes.