How many gamete cells are produced at the end of meiosis?

At the end of meiosis, a total of four gamete cells are produced. Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that occurs in the formation of gametes, such as sperm and eggs in animals. It consists of two consecutive divisions, meiosis I and meiosis II, but only one round of DNA replication.

During meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated into two daughter cells. Each of these cells then undergoes meiosis II, where the sister chromatids are separated, resulting in a total of four haploid cells. These four cells are genetically diverse due to the processes of crossing over and independent assortment that occur during meiosis.

Thus, the process of meiosis is crucial for generating genetic diversity in populations, and it ensures that the resulting gametes have half the number of chromosomes compared to the original cell, which is fundamental for sexual reproduction.