Binary Fission Flashcards, test questions and answers
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What is Binary Fission?
Binary fission is a form of asexual reproduction that occurs in many microorganisms, such as bacteria and protozoa. In binary fission, the parent organism divides into two daughter organisms with identical genetic material. This process is much faster than sexual reproduction, allowing for rapid population growth of single-celled organisms in favorable environments. Binary fission also helps the species to adjust quickly to changing environmental conditions.In order to undergo binary fission, an organism must first replicate its DNA so each daughter cell will have an exact copy of the parental genome. The duplication begins when an enzyme called helicase splits the double helix structure of DNA into two separate strands. After this step, another enzyme called primase synthesizes short segments known as Okazaki fragments along both strands; these are used by other enzymes to build new nucleotides and create duplicate copies of all chromosomes within the nucleus. Once completed, the cell begins to grow and divide itself evenly between two cells through cytokinesis. The speed with which binary fission takes place makes it advantageous for some unicellular organisms such as bacteria since they can reproduce rapidly under ideal environmental conditions without having to expend time or energy on finding a mate like most sexually reproducing species do. Moreover, because only one parent is involved there’s no need to worry about genetic diversity being lost due to interbreeding which can be detrimental over long periods of time when it comes to adapting successfully against predators or fluctuating temperatures/environments etcetera . Overall binary fission provides a fast way for single-celled organisms like bacteria and protozoa alike to multiply quickly and survive despite their environment providing them with less than ideal circumstances for survival or evolution thus ensuring their continued existence either alone at times or in colonies depending on the species in question , making it one essential evolutionary tool available at nature’s disposal.