What is the type of asexual reproduction in which an organism replicates its DNA and divides in half, producing two identical daughter cells?

• A. Mitosis
• B. Binary Fission
• C. Budding
• D. Fragmentation

Answer: (B)

Think about a simple way a single cell can reproduce by copying its DNA and then splitting into two. Binary fission is the process used by many prokaryotes. After the circular chromosome is replicated, the cell grows and a septum forms down the middle, dividing the cytoplasm and creating two genetically identical daughter cells. This split happens as one cell becomes two equal halves, which is why it’s described as dividing in half.

Mitosis also makes two identical cells, but it happens in cells with a nucleus and involves complex steps with chromosomes and spindle fibers. Budding produces a smaller new individual that grows on or from the parent before separating, and fragmentation creates new organisms from fragments of the parent. None of these describe the straightforward half-splitting division seen in binary fission.