Correct Response: C. To provide a means for genetic variation, prokaryotes undergo conjugation, which is the direct transfer of genetic material from one cell into another. This changes the genetic composition of the cell that receives the transferred DNA. Endosymbiosis (A) occurs when one cell resides in another for mutual survival. Prokaryotic cells divide and produce daughter cells through the process of binary fission (B). Although cells undergoing conjugation are connected while the transfer of genetic material from one cell to the other occurs, they separate once the transfer is complete (D).