Method to share genetics beyond traditional sexual reproduction
It seems that my ability to create interesting creatures is limited by the need for sexual reproduction, which is absurdly useful, but also rather limiting, method of sharing genetics. I acknowledge that any sapient species will almost certainly have some means of swapping genetics, but that does not mean a traditional male-female role must exist.
I'm looking for some alternate approaches with which an 'advanced' species, at least sentient if not sapient, could evolve for exchanging genetics. I'm looking for any novel approaches for genetic swapping which make logical evolutionary sense. Presume a world that is roughly similar to earth, though your welcome to tweak specifics to fit any need. Any creature must be roughly earth like, meaning carbon based, multi cellular, specialized organs, etc etc. I'll give some lead way for methods of genetic encoding beyond DNA if this supports an interesting concept.
Genetic division does not need to be as rapid as with sexual reproduction, a species that gets enough novel DNA to make evolution of more advanced features like sapience possible is fine, even if it takes five times the generations due to a slower dna exchange mechanism.
What I mean by avoiding sex means avoiding the traditional male-female sexes or traditional "two creatures meet up and mate with intent of creating at least one more creature with half their dna each". It's okay to have specialized sexual organs, transfer of dna between creatures etc, so long as it is separate enough from traditional matings within the animal kingdom.
As I myself already stated I don't considered tri-gendered creatures to be viable (How to handle a tri-gendered race). Hermaphrodite creatures are interesting and novel, but I'm going to exclude them as possible answers simply because I'm aware of them and the interesting options they offer already.
What other novel methods could organisms generate to allow genetic exchange?
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