Final answer:
Daughter cells result from the division of a diploid parent cell during meiosis, which involves two rounds of nuclear division (meiosis I and II) leading to four haploid daughter cells essential for sexual reproduction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Daughter cells are cells that result from the division during meiosis of the parent cell. During the process of meiosis, a single diploid (2n) cell undergoes one round of chromosome replication followed by two subsequent rounds of nuclear division, termed meiosis I and meiosis II. This results in the formation of four haploid (1n) daughter cells from one diploid parent cell. The first division, meiosis I, separates homologous chromosomes, and the second division, meiosis II, separates sister chromatids. The haploid daughter cells produced via meiosis are essential for sexual reproduction as they can develop into gametes. When two gametes from two different parents unite during fertilization, they form a diploid zygote, continuing the cycle of life.