Explain the critical role of meiotic cell division in reproductive organs for forming gametes (egg and sperm cells) with half the normal chromosome number.
Describe the overall process of meiosis, recognizing that copies of genetic information are made before the cell undergoes two successive divisions.
Understand that meiosis results in the formation of four genetically diverse gametes, each containing a single set of chromosomes.
Explain how gametes join during fertilization to restore the normal number of chromosomes, followed by mitotic division to facilitate organism growth.
