AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Mitochondria are dynamic organelles with the ability to fuse and divide (fission), forming constantly changing tubular networks in most eukaryotic cells.

Detailed explanation-2: -Mitochondrial fusion is the physical merging of the outer and then the inner mitochondrial membranes of two originally distinct mitochondria. Mitochondrial division is the breaking apart of one mitochondrial body into two. The combined effects of ongoing fusion and division give rise to mitochondrial networks.

Detailed explanation-3: -Mitochondrial fission is the process where mitochondria divide or segregate into two separate mitochondrial organelles. Mitochondrial fission is counteracted by the process of mitochondrial fusion, whereby two separate mitochondria can fuse together to form a large one.

Detailed explanation-4: -Mitochondrial fusion enables content mixing within a mitochondrial population, thereby preventing permanent loss of essential components. Cells with reduced mitochondrial fusion, as a consequence, show a subpopulation of mitochondria that lack mtDNA nucleoids.