Final answer:
Meiosis consists of two nuclear and cytoplasmic divisions resulting in four genetically unique, haploid daughter cells. It involves a reduction from diploid to haploid status, unlike mitosis which maintains ploidy level.
Step-by-step explanation:
Meiosis involves two divisions of the nucleus and cytoplasm. This process results in four genetically different, haploid daughter cells.
Meiosis starts with a diploid parent cell that undergoes one round of DNA replication followed by two rounds of nuclear division, known as meiosis I and meiosis II. The first division, meiosis I, includes homologous chromosomes pairing, crossing over, and separating into different nuclei, thus reducing the ploidy level from diploid to haploid. During meiosis II, similar to mitotic division, chromosomes are segregated to produce further nuclei but the daughter cells formed are not genetically identical due to the genetic recombination in the previous phase.
Meiosis is critical for sexual reproduction and ensures genetic diversity owing to the genetic differences between the daughter cells, distinguishing it from mitosis, which produces genetically identical diploid daughter cells.