What is the result of meiosis in terms of chromosome number in daughter cells?

Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that occurs in sexually reproducing organisms. Its primary function is to produce gametes—sperm and egg cells—in animals, and spores in plants. The key characteristic of meiosis is that it reduces the chromosome number by half.

During meiosis, a diploid parent cell (which contains two sets of chromosomes) undergoes two rounds of division: meiosis I and meiosis II. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes are separated into two daughter cells, each now containing one set of chromosomes (haploid). This reduction is crucial because it ensures that when fertilization occurs, the resulting zygote has the correct diploid chromosome number.

In summary, the correct answer indicates that daughter cells formed at the end of meiosis have half the number of chromosomes compared to the parent cell. This reduction is fundamental for maintaining the chromosome number across generations in sexually reproducing species.