CELL DIVISION

2.3 & 2.5

 THE IMPORTANCE OF CELL DIVISION
• Cells divide in order for organisms to reproduce, grow,
and repair damage.

• When single-cell organisms divide and only one

parentis involved, it is called asexual reproduction.
The offspring is an exact genetic copy of the parent.
• When multicellular organisms divide and
two parents are involved, it is called
sexual reproduction. The cell from one
parent joins with the cell from another
parent, and the off spring inherits
characteristics from both parents.

Half cells are called

gametes, produced by a
process called meiosis
Cell Division and Growth

• Why do cells divide?

• To heal and repair tissue: every second millions of our body cells are injured. If our cells
did not reproduce we would shrink

• To replace dead cells: all cells have a programmed life expectancy

• Skin: 2 days
• Red blood cells: 120 days
• Brain cells: 30 – 50 years

• To ensure organism growth: There is an increase in the number of cells to increase the
size of the organism.

• Create new organism

Cell Division and Growth
• Why do cells divide rather then simply getting larger?
• Cells remain small to ensure efficiency of materials moving.
• Plant and animal cells need energy, nutrients, water, and gases to live. Water is
important because chemicals that enter the cells need to be dissolved in water to be
used in chemical reactions within the cell.

• Chemicals used for cell activity and growth enter the cell
through the membrane and travel to where they are needed.
This movement is call diffusion.

• Water enters and leaves the cell in a process called osmosis.

 Length of cell cycle
THE CELL CYCLE depends on type of cells

• As eukaryotic cells grow and divide, they move

through three distinct stages:
• Interphase
• Spends the most time in this phase
• Cell is preparing for division

• Mitosis
• Cell is dividing
• 4 parts: Prophase, metaphase, anaphase and
telophase

• Cytokinesis.
• Division of cytoplasm
Interphase

• During interphase, the cell carries out all normal life activities and the genetic material
called DNA is in very long, thin, and invisible strands. When the cell prepares to divide, the
strands are duplicated, so there are two identical strands of genetic material.
Mitosis: Prophase
• The double chromatin strands thicken and coil into visible chromosomes. The
chromosomes are held together by a centromere
• The centrioles split and move to either pole
• Spindle fibres for at the centrioles and attach themselves to one side of each
centromere
Mitosis: Metaphase
• Tugging action of the spindle fibres pulls the double-stranded chromosomes into a
line across the middle of the cell.
Mitosis: Anaphase
• The spindle fibres contract and shorten causing the centromeres to break apart
• This allows each replicated strand to move to opposite poles
Mitosis: Telophase
• One complete set of chromosomes is found at each pole of the cell
• The spindle fibres disappear and a nuclear membrane forms around each set of
chromosomes
• Single-stranded chromosomes uncoil into thin strands of chromatin
• Nuclear membrane and nucleolus reappear
Cytokinesis
• Occurs as the cytoplasm and organelles separate into roughly equal parts forming
2 identical daughter cells.
• The daughter cells begin preparations for another division beginning with
interphase
PHASES OF CELL DIVISION
I Pay Money At The Cafe