Q.Explain the respective roles of pili, fimbriae and flagella as surface structures found in many bacterial cells, and state how fimbriae differ functionally from flagella.

[!TLDR]

Flagella drive locomotion; pili assist DNA transfer during conjugation; fimbriae aid attachment only, with no locomotory role. …

Flagella are long, whip-like appendages, made of a filament, hook and basal body, that rotate to propel the bacterial cell through its liquid environment -- they are the principal organ of bacterial locomotion. Pili are elongated, tubular structures made of the protein pilin; beyond a possible role in attachment, certain pili specifically allow two bacterial cells to connect during conjugation, the process by which bacteria exchange genetic material. Fimbriae are small, numerous, bristle-like fibres that help the bacterium attach firmly to rocks, host t …

Assign each of the three structures its specific, named role, and explicitly contrast fimbriae's attachment …

Assuming fimbriae assist in locomotion because they superficially resemble small flagella -- fi …