Binary fission

Binary fission is cell division in which one prokaryotic cell replicates its chromosome and splits into two daughter cells. It is the main reproductive process of bacteria and archaea.

Bacterial chromosome replication: The copying of a bacterium’s chromosome before cell division. Binary fission begins by duplicating the genetic material that each daughter cell must inherit.
Prokaryote: An organism whose cells lack a membrane-bound nucleus, including bacteria and archaea. Binary fission is characteristic of prokaryotic cells.
Mitosis: The division of a eukaryotic nucleus into two nuclei with matching chromosome sets. Mitosis uses a nucleus and spindle, unlike prokaryotic binary fission.
Bacterial growth curve: A graph showing how a bacterial population changes through lag, exponential, stationary, and decline phases. Repeated binary fission drives the steep increase during exponential growth.
Archaeal cell division: The processes by which archaea grow and separate into daughter cells, using mechanisms that vary among archaeal groups. Archaea divide by mechanisms that do not all match familiar bacterial models.
FtsZ: A bacterial protein that forms a ring at the future division site and helps organize cell division. Its ring marks where the dividing cell will constrict.
Bacterial chromosome: The principal DNA molecule carrying a bacterium’s genetic information, usually a circular double-stranded molecule. Its replicated copies are distributed to the two emerging cells.
Multiple fission: A reproductive process in which one parent cell produces multiple daughter cells through repeated nuclear or cellular divisions. It can yield more than two offspring from one parent cell.
Generation time: The time required for a cell or population to double in number under specified conditions. It measures how quickly successive rounds of binary fission increase cell numbers.
FtsZ-independent cell division: Prokaryotic cell division carried out without the FtsZ ring used by many bacteria. Some bacteria divide without the standard FtsZ-based machinery.

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