100 POINTS! CORRECT ANSWER GETS BRAINLIEST! How this somatic cell obtain twice as much chromosomes? Body Cells and Germ Cells Your body cells(somatic) are called diploid cells because they contain two copies of every chromosome. However, the two copies are not exact copies because one is from your mother and one is from your father. Diploid cells can be represented as 2n. In humans, the diploid chromosome number is 46. In addition to body cells, you also have germ cells located in your reproductive organs. Germ cells form gametes, or sex cells. The male sex cells are sperm and the female sex cells are eggs. Unlike body cells, gametes have only one copy of each chromosome. These cells are called haploid and can be represented as n. Human gametes thus contain 23 chromosomes. Only DNA in gametes is passed down to the organism's offspring. The DNA in body cells is not. Sexual reproduction involves the fusion of two gametes of different types, resulting in offspring that are a genetic mixture of both parents. The joining of these two gametes is called fertilization. When fertilization occurs, the nuclei of the egg and sperm fuse to form a single nucleus.