Question

The lysogenic cycle is beneficial to the reproduction of a bacteriophage because

Answer 1

In the lysogenic cycle a bacteriophage will incorporate its genetic material into the hosts circular chromosome. This means that the bacteriophage will not kill the host immediately and allow for the host to reproduce many times before initiating the lysogenic cycle.

If bacteria were only able to enter the lysogenic cycle every infection would result in one bacteria producing bacteriophages. The lysogenic cycle enables the bacteriophage to create an entire population of bacteriophage producers from one infection.