 Although they do not use the haploid / diploid method of sexual reproduction , bacteria have many methods of acquiring new genetic information . Some bacteria can undergo conjugation , transferring a small circular piece of DNA to another bacterium . Bacteria can also take up raw DNA fragments found in the environment and integrate them into their genomes , a phenomenon known as transformation . These processes result in horizontal gene transfer , transmitting fragments of genetic information between organisms that would be otherwise unrelated . 
