**During meiosis, the chromosome number is reduced to half.**

During meiosis, a type of cell division that occurs in sexually reproducing organisms, the chromosome number is reduced to half in the resulting cells. This reduction in chromosome number is necessary for the formation of gametes (sex cells) with the correct number of chromosomes.

Meiosis involves two rounds of cell division: meiosis I and meiosis II. Each round of division consists of several phases, including prophase, metaphase, anaphase, and telophase.

**Reduction in Chromosome Number during Meiosis I:**

During prophase I of meiosis I, homologous chromosomes pair up and undergo a process called synapsis. This results in the formation of a tetrad, which consists of two homologous chromosomes, each composed of two sister chromatids. Crossing over may also occur during this stage, leading to the exchange of genetic material between the homologous chromosomes.

During metaphase I, the tetrads line up along the equator of the cell. Each homologous pair attaches to the spindle fibers from opposite poles.

During anaphase I, the homologous chromosomes separate and move to opposite poles of the cell. This is different from mitosis, where sister chromatids separate in anaphase.

During telophase I, the chromosomes arrive at the poles of the cell, and the cytoplasm divides, resulting in two haploid daughter cells. Each daughter cell contains half the number of chromosomes as the original cell.

**Further Reduction in Chromosome Number during Meiosis II:**

After the first round of meiotic division, the two daughter cells enter meiosis II. Meiosis II is similar to mitosis, with the separation of sister chromatids.

During prophase II, the nuclear envelope breaks down, and the spindle apparatus forms.

During metaphase II, the chromosomes line up along the equator of the cell.

During anaphase II, the sister chromatids separate and move to opposite poles of the cell.

During telophase II, the chromosomes arrive at the poles, and the nuclear envelope reforms. The cytoplasm then divides, resulting in the formation of four haploid daughter cells.

In summary, during meiosis, the chromosome number is reduced to half in the resulting daughter cells. This reduction occurs during meiosis I when homologous chromosomes separate, and it is further maintained during meiosis II when sister chromatids separate. This reduction in chromosome number is necessary for sexual reproduction and the production of gametes with the correct number of chromosomes.