Binary fission

• What is binary fission?

  A process by which prokaryotic organisms divide
• What type of reproduction is binary fission?

  Asexual reproduction
• What are the steps in the binary fission process?

  1. Circular DNA and plasmids replicate
  2. Circular DNA strands move to opposite ends; plasmids are randomly distributed
  3. Cytoplasm divides and new cell wall forms
  4. Cytoplasm is divided, producing two daughter cells
• What do daughter cells produced by binary fission contain?

  One copy of single strand DNA
• How many copies of plasmids do daughter cells have?

  Variable number of copies
• How quickly can bacteria divide under optimal conditions?

  Once every 20 minutes
• What conditions are necessary for bacteria to divide quickly?

  Enough nutrients and suitable temperature
• What happens to cells in unfavorable conditions?

  Cells stop dividing and die
• How does binary fission compare to sexual reproduction in terms of speed?

  Binary fission is faster than sexual reproduction
• If a bacterium divides every 20 minutes, how many bacteria will there be after 1 hour?

  8 bacteria