Experimental evolution in the mitochondrion

This project aims to resolve a long-debated hypothesis in evolutionary biology; does the genetic variation found within our energy centres - the mitochondria - contribute to evolutionary adaptation? This project will take an interdisciplinary approach; leveraging the technique of experimental evolution, an ecological framework, a new platform for the measurement of organismal physiologies, and the power of fruit fly genetics. The outcomes could change the way biologists view the mitochondria. This will deliver new insights into the role the mitochondria play in adaptation to climatic stress, and their contribution to shaping evolutionary trade-offs and conflict between the sexes.