The role of meiosis in the heredity of organisms and the generation of new offspring is undeniable. The process of meiosis produces sperm from male reproductive mother cell and egg from female reproductive mother cell. Sperm and egg are haploid germ cells or gametes. The chromosome number of the gamete is half of the chromosome number of the mother cell. A zygote is formed by the union of sperm and egg. Zygote is a diploid cell. The zygote divides repeatedly to form a multicellular embryo. Multicellular embryos develop into full-fledged organisms. So the role of meiosis is important in the generation of new offspring or in heredity.
Homologous chromosomes pair up in the process of meiosis. The process of pairing of chromosomes is called synapsis and each pair of chromosomes is bivalent. Each chromosome in a bivalent divides longitudinally without the centromere to form two chromatids. As a result, four chromatids are formed in each bivalent and this condition is called tetrad. Two chromatids of the same chromosome are called sister chromatids and two chromatids of different chromosomes are called non-sister chromatids. Two non-sister chromatids approach each other and form an X-shaped zygoma. Two non-sister chromatids break at the chiasma segment and exchange segments. This is called crossing over. Crossing over results in structural changes in chromosomes. New arrangements of genes occur. Different types of changes occur in living organisms. New features appear. As a result, new offspring are created. So the role of meiosis in heredity is undeniable.