The following points highlight the top six ways by which cell division occurs in bacteria.
(a) The circular double stranded DNA molecule (nucleus) during replication gets separated into two strands of DNA and form new complimentary strand resulting in two identical double stranded DNA molecules, which are distributed into two daughter cells (Fig. 1).
(b) A transverse septun grows across the cell from the cell membrane.
(c) Cell wall material is deposited and two daughter cells are separated.
(d) Time required for cell division in a bacterium is known as generative time or population doubling time.
(e) The generative time in most bacteria is 20 minutes. However, it may vary from 2 hours to 20 days in some bacteria.
(f) It is also called binary fission and it is the commonest and the most important method of reproduction bacteria.