in biology, the process by which one cell physically divides into two cells. Cytokinesis represents the major reproductive procedure of unicellular organisms, but it also occurs in the process of embryonic development and tissue growth and repair of higher plants (plant) and animals (animal). It generally follows nuclear doubling, whether in mitosis or in meiosis. Prokaryotes (prokaryote) reproduce principally by binary fission, in which the mother cell enlarges until it divides into two identical daughter cells, with cytokinesis representing the physical division into the two daughter cells.