What term is used for a mature sexual reproductive cell that has a single set of unpaired chromosomes?

A mature sexual reproductive cell with a single set of unpaired chromosomes is referred to as a gamete. Gametes are essential for sexual reproduction, and they include sperm in males and eggs in females. These cells are haploid, meaning they contain half the number of chromosomes found in diploid cells, which represent the normal somatic cells of an organism.

The significance of gametes in the process of reproduction is that, upon fertilization, a sperm and an egg combine to form a zygote, restoring the diploid number of chromosomes and initiating the development of a new organism. Understanding gametes is crucial in biology as they play a fundamental role in inheritance and the variation seen in sexually reproducing species.

In contrast, diploid cells have two sets of chromosomes, embryos refer to early stages of development post-fertilization, and chromatids are the identical halves of a duplicated chromosome.