iCEV Elanco Fundamentals of Animal Science Certification Practice Test

Meiosis is the specialized form of cellular division that generates sex cells, also known as gametes, which are crucial for sexual reproduction. This process reduces the chromosome number by half, resulting in four genetically distinct cells, each containing half the number of chromosomes present in the original cell. This reduction is essential because it ensures that when two gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting offspring have a complete set of chromosomes.

In contrast, the other processes listed do not lead to the production of sex cells. Mitosis is responsible for producing identical somatic cells for growth and repair, maintaining the same chromosome number. Clonal division refers to a method of reproduction that produces genetically identical offspring but does not pertain to the generation of gametes. Asexual reproduction is a broader term encompassing various processes that create offspring without the fusion of gametes, therefore not producing sex cells either.