What type of cell division produces gametes?

The process that produces gametes, which are the reproductive cells (sperm and egg in animals), is meiosis. This type of cell division reduces the chromosome number by half, creating four genetically unique cells from one original cell. This reduction is essential for sexual reproduction, as it ensures that when gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting offspring have the correct number of chromosomes.

Meiosis involves two rounds of division: meiosis I and meiosis II. During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes pair and exchange genetic material through a process called crossing over, further increasing genetic diversity. The end result of meiosis is not only a halving of the chromosome number but also the introduction of variability, which is a crucial aspect of evolution and adaptation in species.

In contrast, mitosis produces two identical daughter cells and is used for growth, tissue repair, and asexual reproduction, but it does not contribute to gamete formation. Binary fission is a form of asexual reproduction seen in prokaryotes, leading to two identical offspring without any genetic diversity, while fragmentation is a method of asexual reproduction that involves the splitting of an organism into parts that regenerate into a whole.