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Gametes form during meiosis, which is a specialized type of cell division that reduces the chromosome number by half and results in the production of haploid cells. This process is crucial for sexual reproduction and involves two rounds of division, known as meiosis I and meiosis II.

During meiosis, genetic diversity is enhanced through processes such as crossing over and independent assortment. The end products are four non-identical daughter cells, each with half the number of chromosomes of the original cell. These daughter cells develop into gametes—sperm in males and ova in females.

In contrast, mitosis is used for growth and repair, producing two identical daughter cells with identical genetic material. Binary fission is a simpler, asexual reproduction method used by prokaryotic organisms, leading to two identical cells. Fertilization is the process where two gametes unite but does not involve the formation of gametes themselves. Thus, the formation of gametes is specifically associated with meiosis.