New cells at Higher Level: The same statement as SL. At HL it leads on to cell proliferation and the cell cycle (4.4.12 and 4.4.13).
Practise this as you read
- State what one cell division produces.
- Outline how new cells are produced in living organisms.
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The big idea: New cells are made only by cell division: a parent cell divides to produce two daughter cells.
The points to remember
- This is true in all living organisms: bacteria, plants, fungi and animals.
- The cell that divides is the parent cell (often called the mother cell).
- The two new cells it produces are the daughter cells.
- Cells are never made from non-living material: every cell comes from a pre-existing cell.
- Each division doubles the number of cells: 1, 2, 4, 8 ...
Remember it as: One cell in, two cells out.
Real example: E. coli. In ideal conditions in a laboratory, the bacterium E. coli can divide about every 20 minutes. Each division doubles the number of cells, so one cell can become millions in a few hours.
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What cell division is for: The same process, a cell dividing in two, does different jobs in different organisms.
| Organism | What cell division does | Example |
|---|---|---|
| One cell (unicellular) | Reproduction: each division makes a new organism | A yeast cell or a bacterium |
| Many cells (multicellular) | Growth: more cells, a bigger body | A root tip growing |
| Many cells (multicellular) | Replacement of cells that wear out or die | Skin cells |
| Many cells (multicellular) | Repair of damaged tissue | A cut healing |
| Sexually reproducing | Making gametes (by meiosis) | Sperm and egg cells |
The nucleus divides first: In a eukaryotic cell the nucleus divides before the cell does, so that each daughter cell gets a nucleus. The next pages show how.
How it is asked: Usually as the first part of a longer question on cell division: where new cells come from, or how many cells one division makes.
IB-style questionOutline[2 marks]
Outline how new cells are produced in living organisms.
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