The pervasiveness of sex would make a lot of sense if the act increases reproduction both directly and indirectly, such as by increasing longevity

2022-02-16:

Research suggests the molecular machinery that makes this part of sexual reproduction possible may have existed 2 ga BP in the simple prokaryotic cells called archaea, perhaps 1 ga before eukaryotes and sex evolved. But the new findings also hint at an explanation for why this kind of cell fusion for sexual reproduction didn’t appear earlier in life’s history, when it seemingly could have. Fusexins that may once have been used for limited genetic transfer between archaeal cells may then have seeded the evolution of sexual reproduction. “The downside of lateral gene transfer is that it becomes less and less good if you have a bigger genome. If you’re just picking a bit of DNA out of the environment, what’s the probability it’s going to match up? It’s a decreasing function of genome size.” Cell fusion — made possible with repurposed ancestral fusexins — may have been instrumental in the transition to eukaryotes by allowing more coordinated, large-scale genetic exchange: sexual reproduction. Such a radical shift may have been more appropriate for maintaining the fledgling eukaryotic genome.

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