Meiosis is Necessary Because Otherwise

Question

Meiosis is necessary because otherwise
A) the fertilized ovum will have too much genetic material.
B) the fertilized ovum will have too little genetic material.
C) reproduction would have to be asexual.
D) too many mutations will occur.
E) growth and healing will become impaired.

Accepted Answer

Meiosis is necessary because it involves the reduction in the number of chromosomes in a cell, resulting in haploid cells (containing half the usual number of chromosomes) which are necessary for sexual reproduction. Without meiosis, the fertilized ovum would contain the full complement of genetic material from both parents, resulting in too much genetic material in the offspring.