Binary Fission Flashcards
What is binary fission?
Binary fission is a type of simple cell division used by prokaryotic cells to reproduce.
What are the steps of binary fission?
1) The circular DNA and plasmid(s) replicate. 2) The cell gets bigger and the DNA strands move to opposite poles. 3) The cytoplasm begins to divide and new cell walls form. 4) The cytoplasm divides, producing two daughter cells.
What happens to bacteria under unfavourable conditions?
Under unfavourable conditions, bacteria will stop dividing and eventually begin to die.
What is mean division time?
Mean division time is the average amount of time it takes for one bacterial cell to divide into two.
How do you calculate the number of bacteria produced?
To calculate the number of bacteria produced, convert time to the same units, divide total time by mean division time to find the number of divisions, then multiply 2 by itself for the number of divisions.
