Final answer:
Meiosis results in cells with half the chromosome number of the original cell and involves two cell divisions, leading to four haploid daughter cells, which are crucial for sexual reproduction to maintain the species chromosome number after fertilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
The number of chromosomes in a cell that results from meiosis is half the number of chromosomes in the original cell. This is because meiosis is a type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half, producing four haploid cells from one diploid parent cell. During meiosis, there are two rounds of cell division, namely Meiosis I and Meiosis II. In Meiosis I, homologous chromosomes separate, while in Meiosis II, sister chromatids separate, similar to what happens in mitosis. This two-step division ensures that each of the four daughter cells contains a unique set of chromosomes, contributing to genetic diversity.
Meiosis I and Meiosis II each consist of stages known as prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase, and each is followed by cytokinesis. Meiosis, unlike mitosis, goes through two rounds of these stages, resulting in two cell divisions. Moreover, meiosis generates gametes, which are haploid cells, ensuring that the resulting offspring, after fertilization, have the correct diploid number of chromosomes.