How is meiosis directly related to sexual reproduction?

• A. It is the process by which two haploid gametes fuse to form a diploid zygote.
• B. It produces haploid gametes and generates genetic variation through recombination and independent assortment, enabling fertilization to restore diploidy.
• C. It occurs only in somatic cells to repair damaged DNA and maintain chromosome number across generations.
• D. It produces diploid gametes by replicating DNA twice without cell division, ensuring offspring are genetically identical to the parent.

Answer: (B)