Describe the process of meiosis and explain why it is important for sexual reproduction.

Meiosis is a two‑stage division of a diploid cell that produces four haploid daughter cells.
1. In meiosis I, homologous chromosomes pair, undergo crossing‑over and are separated into two cells.
2. In meiosis II, the sister chromatids of each chromosome are separated, giving a total of four genetically distinct haploid cells.
The halving of chromosome number is essential for sexual reproduction because when a haploid sperm and egg fuse, the resulting zygote has the normal diploid number and the combination of genes from both parents creates genetic diversity.