Like the development of the flagellum for movement, sexual reproduction in protists involving meiosis, syngamy and zygote formation appears to have been a major evolutionary innovation by the primitive protists. This innovation has made a profound effect on more complex organisms.
Sexual Reproduction
Bacterial Conjugation – A Primitive form of Sexual Reproduction.
Several Bacteria (like Escherichia Coli) exhibit a form of sexual reproduction called Bacterial Conjugation. It is the transfer of genetic material between bacterial cells by direct cell-to-cell contact or by a bridge-like connection between two cells.