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💡 A bump that becomes a body
Watch a yeast cell under a microscope and you may spot a little bump growing out of it — a bud. Hydra do the same, sometimes wearing several buds at once.
In this Activity, we will explore reproduction in yeast by observing budding cells under a microscope.
- Take 20 mL of sugar solution (1 g in 10 mL) in a test tube.
- Add a pinch of yeast granules and place a cotton plug on the mouth of the tube.
- Keep it undisturbed in a warm place to let the yeast become active.
- After 1–2 hours, place a small drop of the mixture on a glass slide and mount it with a coverslip.
- Observe the slide under a compound microscope at different magnifications and draw a diagram of what you see.
What we observe
Small, round
outgrowths (buds)
emerge from the parent yeast cells (Fig. 11.6) — showing that yeast reproduces by budding.
What is budding?
- Repeated cell division at a specific site produces a small outgrowth called a bud .
- The bud enlarges and separates from the parent to live independently.
- This is called budding ; in hydra, many buds can grow on the parent’s body at the same time (Fig. 11.7).
