Chapter 9.2, Problem 2MI

Summary Introduction

To define:

The term “life cycle” using a book or dictionary

Introduction:

A cell grows until it reaches its size limit, then it either stops growing or divides. Most cells undergo division. Cells reproduce by a cycle of growing and dividing called the cell cycle. Prokaryotic cells reproduce by a method called binary fission. Eukaryotic cells reproduce by mitosis and cytokinesis.

Answer to Problem 2MI

Life cycle refers to the sequence of growth and development stages that an organism goes through during its life.

Explanation of Solution

Cells have a cycle of growth and reproduction. The sequence of events in the life of a eukaryotic cell is called the cell cycle/ life cycle. The cell cycle is the method by which eukaryotic cells reproduce themselves. All organisms grow and change; worn out tissues are replaced by new ones and damaged cells are repaired.

There are three main stages of a cell cycle; interphase, mitosis and cytokinesis.

Interphase- This is the first stage in which a cell spends most of the time. It is the stage in which a cell grows, carries out cellular activities and replicates.

The next stage is mitosis in which cell’s nucleus and nuclear material divides.

The last stage is cytokinesis in which the cytoplasm of the cell divided creating a new cell.

Eukaryotic cells reproduce by mitosis, the process of nuclear division, and cytokinesis, the process of cytoplasm division.