Why is crossover important in meiosis?

It generates new combinations of alleles, increasing genetic variation among offspring

Explanation

Crossover is biologically important because it shuffles alleles between homologous chromosomes, generating new combinations of genetic information. This increases genetic variation among the gametes - and therefore among offspring. Along with the random assortment of homologous chromosomes, crossover is one of the main reasons sexually reproducing organisms show such genetic diversity.