How do viruses reproduce?

Viruses reproduce by a unique process that relies on a host cell. They lack the cellular machinery necessary for reproduction on their own. When a virus infects a host cell, it injects its nucleic acid (either DNA or RNA) into the host. This nucleic acid then hijacks the host's cellular machinery to replicate itself and produce viral proteins, ultimately leading to the assembly of new virus particles.

Option B captures this process accurately by emphasizing the incorporation of viral nucleic acid into a host plant cell, which is crucial for viral replication. The host cell then becomes a factory for producing new viruses, which can subsequently infect additional cells.

The other options describe processes that do not apply to viruses. Dividing and forming new cells pertains to cellular organisms, spores are related to fungal and certain plant reproduction, and using sunlight for energy relates to photosynthesis in plants and some microorganisms, not to viruses.