During which process does the cytoplasm fully separate to create two daughter cells?

The process during which the cytoplasm fully separates to create two daughter cells is known as cytokinesis. This is a critical part of the cell division process, occurring after mitosis has concluded. In cytokinesis, the cytoplasm of a parental cell is divided into two distinct daughter cells, ensuring that each new cell receives a full set of organelles and sufficient cytoplasmic components necessary for its function.

During mitosis, which includes phases like prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, the DNA is divided and distributed to the two daughter nuclei. However, it is cytokinesis that deals explicitly with the segregation of the cytoplasm. In animal cells, this often involves the formation of a cleavage furrow that pinches the cell into two, while in plant cells, a cell plate forms to separate the newly created daughter cells.

Understanding this distinction is crucial, as it highlights the importance of cytokinesis not just as a phase of cell division but as the final step that leads to the complete formation of two individual cells from one.