Cell division that produces reproductive cells (sperm & egg) in sexually reproducing organisms is called?

• A. Meiosis
• B. Mitosis
• C. Cytokinesis
• D. Interphase

Answer: (A)

This item tests how reproductive cells are formed. In sexually reproducing organisms, the production of sperm and eggs uses a special type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half and creates genetic variety. This process is meiosis. It occurs in germ cells and includes two rounds of division (meiosis I and meiosis II) following one round of DNA replication. The result is four haploid gametes from one diploid cell, and crossing over during meiosis I mixes genetic material to increase diversity. This stands in contrast to mitosis, which makes identical diploid cells for growth and repair, and to cytokinesis, which is the division of the cytoplasm, and to interphase, the period between divisions.