Unlike mitosis, meiosis in male mammals results in the formation of

• A. One haploid gamete
• B. Two haploid gametes
• C. Four haploid gametes
• D. Eight haploid gametes

Answer: (C)

Meiosis in male mammals produces four haploid gametes from one diploid germ cell. This happens because there are two rounds of cell division after one round of DNA replication. In the first division, homologous chromosomes separate, halving the chromosome number. In the second division, the sister chromatids separate, yielding four cells, each with a haploid set of chromosomes. These cells mature into sperm. This contrasts with mitosis, where a single division produces two diploid daughter cells that are essentially identical to the parent cell. So the key outcome of male meiosis is four haploid gametes.