Meiosis produces gametes, which are the reproductive cells in sexually reproducing organisms. In animals, these gametes are the sperm and egg cells, while in plants, they include pollen and ovules.
The process of meiosis consists of two consecutive cell divisions, known as meiosis I and meiosis II, that result in four daughter cells. Each of these cells contains half the number of chromosomes of the original cell, making them haploid. This reduction in chromosome number is crucial because it ensures that when gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote will have the correct diploid number of chromosomes.
Understanding meiosis is fundamental to grasping how genetic diversity is achieved through sexual reproduction, as it allows for the assortment of genes and the creation of unique combinations in the offspring.