 Eukaryotic organisms often use sexual reproduction to generate offspring that contain a mixture of genetic material inherited from two different parents . The process of sexual reproduction alternates between forms that contain single copies of the genome ( haploid ) and double copies ( diploid ) . Haploid cells fuse and combine genetic material to create a diploid cell with paired chromosomes . Diploid organisms form haploids by dividing , without replicating their DNA , to create daughter cells that randomly inherit one of each pair of chromosomes . Most animals and many plants are diploid for most of their lifespan , with the haploid form reduced to single cell gametes such as sperm or eggs . 
