What is meiosis?

Meiosis is a specific type of cell division that is fundamental to sexual reproduction. It generates gametes, which are the reproductive cells—sperm in males and eggs in females. The key aspect of meiosis is that it reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in gametes that contain only one set of chromosomes, or haploid cells. This reduction in chromosome number is crucial for maintaining the species' chromosome count during fertilization, as when a sperm and an egg unite, they form a diploid cell with the original chromosome number restored.

In contrast to meiosis, the other options describe different biological processes or phenomena. For example, the first option refers to mitosis, a type of cell division that results in two genetically identical daughter cells, which is used for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction. The second option incorrectly states that cell division occurs only in prokaryotes, while cell division also occurs in eukaryotic organisms through both mitosis and meiosis. The fourth option pertains to cellular respiration, a metabolic process that converts glucose into energy, which is unrelated to cell division. Thus, choice C accurately captures the essence of meiosis and its role in gamete formation.