What type of cell division occurs with sexual reproduction?

• A. Meiosis
• B. Mitosis
• C. Binary fission
• D. Budding

Answer: (A)

Sexual reproduction relies on a division that halves the chromosome number to form gametes and shuffles genetic material, so offspring differ from their parents. That division is meiosis. It involves two rounds of division after a single round of DNA replication, and during this process chromosomes pair, exchange segments, and then separate so the resulting gametes contain half the original chromosome number. When two gametes fuse during fertilization, the full diploid number is restored, bringing genetic variation into the offspring.

In contrast, mitosis creates two genetically identical diploid cells for growth and tissue repair, not for producing gametes. Binary fission is the simple asexual division used by many bacteria, yielding two identical cells. Budding is another form of asexual reproduction where a new individual grows off the parent.