Which biological process ensures that cells reproduce asexually by duplicating their genetic material?

The process that ensures cells reproduce asexually by duplicating their genetic material is binary fission. This method is commonly used by prokaryotic organisms, such as bacteria, and involves the cell growing in size, duplicating its genetic material, and then dividing into two identical daughter cells, each containing a copy of the original DNA.

In binary fission, the simplicity of the process allows for rapid population growth under favorable conditions, as each new cell is a clone of the original. This method of reproduction is efficient and effective in environments where resources are abundant.

While mitosis is also a process of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells, it is primarily associated with eukaryotic cells. Mitosis involves more complex steps and is part of the cell cycle that includes stages such as prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

Conjugation is a process of genetic exchange between bacterial cells, typically involving direct contact and the transfer of DNA, which does not result in asexual reproduction. Crossing over refers specifically to the exchange of genetic material between homologous chromosomes during meiosis, contributing to genetic diversity in sexual reproduction, rather than duplicating genetic material for asexual reproduction.