Many single-celled eukaryotes, like yeast, can reproduce asexually through mitosis. However, some eukaryotes, like certain ciliates, undergo a complex form of sexual reproduction called conjugation, where there's no exchange of genetic material but still involves physical contact and cellular reorganization. If sexual reproduction is typically about increasing genetic diversity, what evolutionary advantages might conjugation offer to ciliates, and how might it differ from other sexual processes on a molecular level?