FIG 1 .

Schematic representation of bacterial replication cycles under slow (left)- and fast (right)-growth conditions. Under slow-growth conditions, DNA replication (termed the C period) takes place within a single generation, followed by the interval between replication termination and completion of cell division (the D period). Fast-growing bacteria with generation times shorter than the C period, like B. subtilis and E. coli, undergo multifork replication; i.e., new rounds of replication are initiated before previous ones terminate. Chromosomes are indicated by black lines with oriCs and terCs as white and black circles.