Which type of cell division involves gametes?

Meiosis is the type of cell division specifically involved in producing gametes, which are the reproductive cells (sperm and eggs in animals) necessary for sexual reproduction. During meiosis, a single diploid cell undergoes two rounds of division, resulting in four haploid cells. This reduction in chromosome number is crucial for maintaining the species' chromosome number across generations; when gametes fuse during fertilization, their combined genetic material restores the diploid state in the zygote.

In contrast, mitosis is a form of cell division that results in two identical daughter cells, primarily used for growth, repair, and asexual reproduction. Binary fission is a method of asexual reproduction found in prokaryotes (like bacteria) where a single cell divides into two identical cells, and fusion is not a standard type of cell division; it generally describes the merging of cells or gametes but does not characterize a specific division process. Thus, meiosis is uniquely characterized by its role in forming gametes with half the original number of chromosomes.