Final answer:
The process that produces gametes for sexual reproduction is meiosis, which creates four haploid cells with genetic diversity, essential for the evolutionary success of sexually reproducing species.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process that produces gametes for sexual reproduction is meiosis. In the context of sexual reproduction, two haploid gametes, one from each parent, unite during fertilization to form a diploid zygote. Meiosis is essential as it reduces the chromosome number by half, producing four unique haploid cells from an original diploid cell.
This reduction is crucial because it allows for genetic diversity through random assortment and crossover events during meiosis. The production of genetically unique individuals through meiosis may account for the evolutionary success of sexually reproducing species. Meiosis consists of two stages of division: meiosis I and meiosis II, and leads to gametogenesis, where haploid cells develop into mature gametes like sperm and eggs in males and females, respectively.