Name one organism which reproduces by fission and another by fragmentation.

Describe these processes with example.

Amoeba reproduces by fission and spirogyra by fragmentation.

i. Fission: It is the process in which a unicellular organism splits into two or more daughter cells. They are mainly of two types- Binary fission which is seen in Amoeba, Paramecium and Multiple fission seen in Plasmodium.

The process by which there is division of a parent cell into several daughter cells is called multiple fission. During this process the nucleus of parent cell divides into many daughter nuclei along with the division of cytoplasm.

Binary fission

The genetic material first duplicates through mitosis leading to duplication of nucleus through karyokinesis and a constriction appears in the cell membrane which deepens and finally a single parent cell divides into two daughter cells. The division of cytoplasm is called cytokinesis. This mode of asexual reproduction is called binary fission.

ii. Fragmentation- In this case organism after maturation breaks into smaller fragments and each fragment grows into a new individual. This process is called fragmentation.