Final answer:
Each daughter cell produced in meiosis II receives half the number of chromosomes compared to the original diploid parent cell, resulting in haploid gametes with a single set of chromosomes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Each of the four daughter cells produced in meiosis II receives half the number of chromosomes. This option corresponds to the first choice in the provided question. To clarify, during meiosis, a diploid parent cell undergoes two rounds of cell division, resulting in four haploid daughter cells. Each haploid cell contains a single set of chromosomes, which is half the number of chromosomes compared to the original diploid cell.
In humans, for example, the diploid cells have 46 chromosomes (23 pairs), so after the meiosis process, each of the four gametes - the haploid daughter cells - ends up with 23 chromosomes. This reduction in chromosome number is essential for sexual reproduction, as it allows for the combination of genetic material from two parents without doubling the chromosome count in the offspring. Hence, when a sperm and an egg, both haploid cells, fuse during fertilization, the resulting zygote is once again diploid, with the appropriate number of chromosomes.