Which type of division is characteristic of bacteria?

• A. Mitosis
• B. Binary fission
• C. Meiosis
• D. Budding

Answer: (B)

Bacteria reproduce primarily through the process known as binary fission. This method of division allows a single bacterial cell to duplicate its genetic material and then divide into two identical daughter cells. Binary fission is a simple and efficient form of asexual reproduction that enables bacteria to multiply rapidly under favorable conditions.

During binary fission, the circular DNA molecule of the bacterium is replicated, and the cell elongates. The cell membrane pinches inward, eventually splitting the cell into two separate cells, each containing a copy of the original DNA. This process does not involve the complex steps of mitosis or meiosis, which are characteristic of eukaryotic cell division. Mitosis is used for growth and repair in multicellular organisms, while meiosis is the division process that leads to the formation of gametes in sexual reproduction.

Budding, seen in some yeast and other organisms, involves the formation of a new organism from a growth on the parent organism but is not a characteristic division method for bacteria. Thus, binary fission is the distinct division process that defines bacterial reproduction in a straightforward and efficient manner.