How do bacteria multiply?

Bacteria are prokaryotes (non-nuclear) the simplest forms of organizing living organisms. Learn about what these organisms are, you can from our article What is the simplest.

How do bacteria multiply: ways

Ways how bacteria multiply, not so much: simple division, budding, conjugation (some scientists consider it a sexual process in bacteria). Let us dwell in detail on each of them.

The most common method of reproduction inbacteria in the natural environment - an equal cross-sectional division. This means that the mother cell, after doubling the strand of DNA and all the organelles, divides into two, forming two daughter cells, in which the genetic material will be similar to the mother cell. Thus, the bacterium literally clones itself. The fission process occurs by forming a constriction or a transverse septum in the equatorial part of the cell.

Another way of reproduction, whichuse bacteria in nature and the human body - budding, which is slightly different from the division. So, the mother cell does not divide "in half," but "grows" on one of its poles a daughter cell (kidney). The mother cell can most often grow up to 4 children, after which it grows old and dies. The budding, as well as division, gives the genetic clones of the mother cell.

Sexual process in bacteria

Another way of multiplying bacteria, inwhich is the simplest sexual process, is conjugation. More often to it resort bacteria, living in an organism of the person or animals. They, unlike eukaryotes (nuclear organisms), do not form gametes and do not merge germ cells (gametes).

During this propagation, two bacterialcells come into contact, form a conjugation bridge and exchange genes, resulting in the formation of genetically new cells. This process is also called genetic recombination. Sexually, bacteria such as E. coli (Escherichia coli) and some other gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria are multiplying.