Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria, does not reproduce by simply splitting into two inside the human host. (i) Name the mode of asexual reproduction it uses and describe how it differs from binary fission. (ii) Explain why this mode of reproduction is better suited to Plasmodium's survival strategy inside a host compared to binary fission.
Generated by claude-sonnet-4-6 · 2026-06-26 01:04 · grounding rag
Model Answer
(i) Plasmodium uses multiple fission. In binary fission, the parent cell divides into two equal daughter cells. In multiple fission, the nucleus divides repeatedly first, then the cytoplasm splits around each nucleus, producing many daughter cells simultaneously from a single parent cell.
(ii) Multiple fission allows Plasmodium to produce a large number of new individuals at once inside the host. This greatly increases its numbers rapidly, helping it spread through the host's body before the immune system can respond effectively — making it a more efficient survival strategy than binary fission.
Source: Chapter 7, Section 7.2.1 Fission
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Explanation
- Examiners expect the term "multiple fission" to be named explicitly for full marks.
- The key contrast in part (i) is two daughter cells (binary) vs many daughter cells simultaneously (multiple) — both points are needed.
- Part (ii) is inference-based; the textbook hints at it by contrasting the two types. The logical answer is rapid population increase inside the host. Keep it concise — one or two sentences suffice for this mark.