Which description best matches binary fission in bacteria?

Which description best matches binary fission in bacteria?

• A. The nucleus divides first, followed by cytoplasmic division.
• B. Mitosis produces two identical daughter cells.
• C. The cell grows and then engulfs another cell.
• D. The cell grows and divides into two identical cells by binary fission.

Answer: (D)

Binary fission is how many bacteria reproduce: a single cell grows, copies its circular DNA, and then divides into two genetically identical daughter cells. There’s no nucleus or mitotic process in bacteria, so descriptions that involve nucleus division or mitosis aren’t applicable to prokaryotes. The image of the cell growing and splitting into two identical cells directly reflects the actual mechanism. Other descriptions describe processes like engulfing another cell or nuclear division, which do not describe how bacterial cells reproduce through binary fission.

Binary fission is how many bacteria reproduce: a single cell grows, copies its circular DNA, and then divides into two genetically identical daughter cells. There’s no nucleus or mitotic process in bacteria, so descriptions that involve nucleus division or mitosis aren’t applicable to prokaryotes. The image of the cell growing and splitting into two identical cells directly reflects the actual mechanism. Other descriptions describe processes like engulfing another cell or nuclear division, which do not describe how bacterial cells reproduce through binary fission.