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IB Biology Topic D2.1 Cell and Nuclear Division… | RevisionDojo

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A1.1 Water

A1.2 Nucleic acids

A2.1 Origins of cells (HL)

A2.2 Cell structure

A2.3 Viruses (HL)

A3.1 Diversity of organisms

A3.2 Classification and cladistics (HL)

A4.1 Evolution and speciation

A4.2 Conservation of biodiversity

B1.1 Carbohydrates and lipids

B1.2 Proteins

B2.1 Membranes and membrane transport

B2.2 Organelles and compartmentalization

B2.3 Cell specialization

B3.1 Gas exchange

B3.2 Transport

B3.3 Muscle and motility (HL)

B4.1 Adaptation to environment

B4.2 Ecological niches

C1.1 Enzymes and metabolism

C1.2 Cell respiration

C1.3 Photosynthesis

C2.1 Chemical signalling (HL)

C2.2 Neural signalling

C3.1 Integration of body systems

C3.2 Defense against disease

C4.1 Populations and communities

C4.2 Transfer of energy and matter

D1.1 DNA replication

D1.2 Protein synthesis

D1.3 Mutations and gene editing

D2.1 Cell and nuclear division

D2.2 Gene expression (HL)

D2.3 Water potential

D3.1 Reproduction

D3.2 Inheritance

D3.3 Homeostasis

D4.1 Natural selection

D4.2 Sustainability and change

D4.3 Climate change

IB
D2.1 Cell and nuclear division

D2.1A Cell division, cytokinesis and the roles of mitosis and meiosis

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Subtopics and learning objectives

D2.1.1 Generation of new cells in living organisms by cell division

D2.1B DNA replication, chromosome movement and the phases of mitosis

Every Cell Comes From a Cell That Divided Before It

A whole quaking aspen forest can turn colour at the same moment because every tree is a genetic clone of one original.
Those identical trees exist because new cells are made only by the division of pre-existing cells.
No cell ever appears from nothing, so every cell you have was copied from an earlier one.

Note

New cells arise only by the division of cells that already exist.
This single rule links growth, repair, and reproduction to one unbroken chain of cells.

Cell Division: One Cell Splits Into Two

Cell division is the process where a parent cell divides to produce two daughter cells.
The parent cell does not survive alongside its offspring, because it becomes the daughter cells.
This makes cell division essential for three things in living organisms.

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D2.1.1 Generation of new cells in living organisms by cell division
D2.1.2 Cytokinesis as splitting of cytoplasm in a parent cell between daughter cells
D2.1.3 Equal and unequal cytokinesis
D2.1.4 Roles of mitosis and meiosis in eukaryotes

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