Describe how environmental factors affect fission type

Environmental factors are the primary triggers that determine whether an organism like Amoeba will undergo binary or multiple fission.

• Favorable Conditions: When the environment provides optimal temperature, abundant food, and sufficient water, the organism is in a growth phase. Under these conditions, it uses binary fission. This method is energetically efficient and supports a steady, consistent increase in the population as long as resources remain plentiful.
• Unfavorable Conditions: When the organism faces environmental stress—such as a pond drying up, extreme heat or cold, or a scarcity of food—it switches its reproductive strategy to multiple fission. The immediate priority shifts from growth to survival. The organism forms a protective cyst to wait out the harsh period. The division into many daughter cells inside the cyst ensures that when conditions finally improve, a large population can be released at once, maximizing the chances of the species' survival and rapid repopulation.