What term describes the genetic material contributed by each parent in sexual reproduction?

The term that describes the genetic material contributed by each parent in sexual reproduction is gametes. Gametes are specialized reproductive cells—sperm in males and eggs in females—that carry half of the genetic information from each parent. When these two gametes fuse during fertilization, they create a zygote, which contains a complete set of chromosomes formed from the combination of the genetic material from both parents.

Since gametes are directly responsible for the transmission of hereditary information during reproduction, they play a key role in determining the genetic makeup of the offspring. Each gamete carries alleles, which are variations of genes, but it is the union of the male and female gametes that ultimately contributes the full genetic composition to the offspring.

While chromosomes are structures within the cells that contain DNA, and alleles are versions of a gene found on chromosomes, the specific genetic material contributed during reproduction is encapsulated in the gametes themselves.