11: Cell Division - Binary Fission and Mitosis

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Page ID: 64543

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Learning Objectives

Describe the processes used for cell division. Compare the process and consequences of binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis.

Since all living things are made up of one or more cells, all living things have to undergo some type of cell division. Cell division serves several basic purposes: reproduction, repair, and growth. Typically during cell division, the DNA of the organism is copied, then divided into the new cells using one or more divisions. We will therefore start our discussion of cell division with a brief overview of the process of DNA replication (copying DNA), followed by the process by which various types of cells divide that DNA into new cells.

Thumbnail: Life cycle of the cell. (CC BY-SA 4.0; BruceBlaus via Wikimedia Commons).