What type of cells undergo meiosis?

Germ cells are the specific type of cells that undergo meiosis, which is a specialized form of cell division. Meiosis is crucial for sexual reproduction, as it reduces the chromosome number by half to create gametes—sperm and eggs in animals. This process ensures that when fertilization occurs, the resulting zygote has the correct diploid number of chromosomes.

In contrast, somatic cells are any cells in the body that are not germ cells, and they typically undergo mitosis for growth and repair, maintaining the same chromosome number. Stem cells have the capability to differentiate into various types of cells but do not specifically undergo meiosis. Leaf cells, which are part of plant tissues, are involved in photosynthesis and also do not undergo meiosis. Therefore, germ cells are uniquely differentiated to undergo meiosis in the context of forming gametes for reproduction.