What type of cell division produces gametes?

Meiosis is the type of cell division responsible for producing gametes, which are the reproductive cells in organisms. In animals, for instance, meiosis results in sperm and egg cells. This process is essential for sexual reproduction, as it reduces the chromosome number by half, ensuring that when gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote maintains the species' characteristic chromosome number.

During meiosis, one parent cell undergoes two rounds of division (meiosis I and meiosis II) to produce four genetically distinct gametes. This genetic variability is critical for evolution and adaptation, as it enables greater diversity within a population.

Other forms of cell division, such as mitosis, are involved in growth, repair, and asexual reproduction, but they do not create gametes. Binary fission and fission refer to the processes used by prokaryotic organisms, like bacteria, and certain unicellular eukaryotes, to divide and reproduce, but they do not result in the formation of gametes either. Thus, meiosis is uniquely suited for generating gametes due to its specific mechanisms and outcomes.