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Meiosis is a specialized type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half and is critical for sexual reproduction. It occurs in the formation of gametes—sperm and eggs—in animals, a process known as spermatogenesis in males and oogenesis in females. During meiosis, a single diploid cell divides to produce four haploid cells, which are the gametes containing half the genetic material of the original cell.

This process ensures genetic diversity through recombination and independent assortment of chromosomes, which is essential for evolution and adaptation. Each of the resulting gametes undergoes further maturation to become functional sperm or eggs, which are involved in fertilization.

Fertilization refers to the fusion of male and female gametes but does not involve meiosis itself. Cleavage is the series of rapid cell divisions that follow fertilization to form a multicellular embryo and does not involve meiotic cell division. Cytokinesis is the final stage of cell division, where the cytoplasm divides to form two daughter cells, but it is not specific to meiosis and can occur in both mitosis and meiosis.

Thus, the association of meiosis specifically with spermatogenesis and oogenesis makes that choice the accurate representation of the processes in which meios