Cloning, in the context of producing a genetically identical copy of an organism, relies on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), which involves a specific type of cell division called mitosis.

Here's how it works:

1. Donor cell: A somatic cell (any cell in the body except for sperm or egg cells) is taken from the organism to be cloned. This cell contains the full genetic blueprint of the donor organism.

2. Egg cell: An egg cell is taken from a female of the same species. The nucleus of the egg cell, which contains half of the organism's genetic material, is removed.

3. Nuclear transfer: The nucleus from the donor cell is transferred into the enucleated egg cell.

4. Stimulation: The egg cell is stimulated to start dividing, which involves mitosis. This process creates a new embryo with the genetic material of the donor organism.

5. Implantation and development: The embryo is implanted into the uterus of a surrogate mother, where it develops and grows into a clone of the donor organism.

Mitosis is a type of cell division that produces two identical daughter cells from a single parent cell. This is crucial in SCNT because it ensures that the genetic material of the donor cell is replicated accurately and passed on to the developing embryo, creating a clone.

Note: While cloning involves mitosis for the development of the embryo, the process of creating the donor cell itself can involve meiosis, the type of cell division that produces gametes (sperm and egg cells) with half the genetic material of the parent cell. However, the genetic material used in cloning comes from a somatic cell, not a gamete, and therefore mitosis is the key division process in the overall cloning procedure.