Cell division?is the process by which a parent?cell?divides into two or more daughter cells.Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger?cell cycle. In?eukaryotes, there are two distinct types of cell division: a vegetative division, whereby each daughter cell is genetically identical to the parent cell (mitosis),?and a reproductive cell division, whereby the number of?chromosomes?in the daughter cells is reduced by half to produce haploid?gametes(meiosis). Meiosis results in four haploid daughter cells by undergoing one round of DNA replication followed by two divisions.?Homologous chromosomes?are separated in the first division, and sister chromatids are separated in the second division. Both of these cell division cycles are used in the process of sexual reproduction at some point in their life cycle. Both are believed to be present in the last eukaryotic common ancestor.?Prokaryotes?undergo a vegetative cell division known as?binary fission, where their genetic material is segregated equally into two daughter cells. All cell divisions, regardless of organism, are preceded by a single round of?DNA replication.
