Do gametes contain pairs of chromosomes?

Gametes are reproductive cells, namely sperm and egg cells in animals, and they contain half the number of chromosomes found in somatic (body) cells. In humans and many other organisms, somatic cells are diploid, meaning they have pairs of chromosomes (one from each parent), while gametes are haploid, containing only one chromosome from each pair. This reduction in chromosome number is essential for sexual reproduction, as it ensures that when two gametes fuse during fertilization, the resulting organism has the correct diploid number of chromosomes. Therefore, gametes do not contain pairs of chromosomes; they only have a single set. This is a fundamental concept in genetics that explains the mechanics of inheritance and the formation of zygotes.