Sex
![The male gamete (sperm) fertilizing the female gamete (ovum)](/Images/godic/202502/10/Sperm-egg1305.jpg")
![The life cycle of sexually reproducing organisms cycles through haploid and diploid stages](/Images/godic/202502/10/Sexual_cycle.svg1305.png")
![Hoverflies mating](/Images/godic/202502/10/Hoverflies_mating_midair1305.jpg")
![Flowers are the sexual organs of flowering plants, usually containing both male and female parts.](/Images/godic/202502/10/Mature_flower_diagram.svg1305.png")
Organisms of many species are specialized into male and female varieties, each known as a sex. Sexual reproduction involves the combining and mixing of genetic traits: specialized cells known as gametes combine to form offspring that inherit traits from each parent. Gametes can be identical in form and function (known as isogamy), but in many cases an asymmetry has evolved such that two sex-specific types of gametes (heterogametes) exist (known as anisogamy).