what are gamets

Gametes are reproductive cells that unite during sexual reproduction to form a new cell called a zygote. They are also referred to as sex cells and are haploid cells, meaning that each cell carries only one copy of each chromosome. In animals, female gametes are called ova or egg cells, and male gametes are called sperm. Ova and sperm are produced through a type of cell division called meiosis, in which a diploid parent cell undergoes one round of DNA replication followed by two separate cycles of nuclear division to produce four haploid cells. During fertilization, male and female gametes fuse, producing a diploid zygote. In species that produce two morphologically distinct types of gametes, and in which each individual produces only one type, a female is any individual that produces the larger type of gamete—called an ovum—and a male produces the smaller type, called a sperm.