The answer to this question is fairly simple. Not all mutations are beneficial. Therefore, waiting for a spontaneous mutation to occur, such that it would introduce a beneficial genetic trait would be a long shot, and the probability of the occurrence of a spontaneous, beneficial mutation would be slim. Also, nature selects organisms on the basis of 'survival of the fittest'. Therefore, when I as a bacterium am meeting another bacterium who may provide me with a new genetic trait, I can be fairly sure that this other bacterium has not fallen prey to a harmful spontaneous mutation, since it is still alive and able to perform gene transfer.
Owing to these benefits, gene transfer would be the preferable choice for acquiring new genetic traits.
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