What type of cell division occurs in gametes?

In human reproduction, gametes are the reproductive cells—sperm in males and eggs in females—necessary for sexual reproduction. The process by which these gametes are created is called meiosis.

Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, leading to the formation of four genetically diverse daughter cells, each with half the number of chromosomes of the original cell. This reduction is crucial because, during fertilization, when a sperm and egg combine, the diploid chromosome number is restored.

This process not only ensures genetic diversity through recombination and independent assortment but also maintains the appropriate chromosome number across generations. Understanding meiosis is fundamental in the fields of genetics and reproductive health, as it underpins concepts such as inheritance patterns and variations among offspring.