What is the primary result of meiosis?

The primary result of meiosis is the production of haploid gametes, which are reproductive cells like sperm and egg in animals. This process is crucial for sexual reproduction as it reduces the chromosome number by half, from diploid (two sets of chromosomes) to haploid (one set of chromosomes). When fertilization occurs, these haploid gametes combine to restore the diploid number in the offspring, ensuring genetic diversity in the population.

Meiosis involves two rounds of cell division (meiosis I and meiosis II) and includes key stages such as homologous chromosomes pairing and crossing over, which contribute to genetic variation. This aspect is fundamentally different from other processes such as the production of muscle cells, the repair of damaged tissues, or the production of identical somatic cells, all of which occur through mitosis and do not lead to the formation of gametes. Thus, the role of meiosis is specifically geared towards generating genetic diversity and maintaining the species' chromosome number across generations during sexual reproduction.