SPECIATION AND SEXUAL SELECTION AS PROCESSES TO MAINTAIN MITONUCLEAR COADAPTATION

CASUAL SEMINAR IN BIODIVERSITY AND EVOLUTION

Eukaryotic performance hinges on the coordinated function of the products of the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes in achieving oxidative phosphorylation. Because two genomes are involved, function is maintained only through perpetual selection for mitonuclear coadaptation. I’ll discuss how these fundamental features of the genomic architecture of eukaryotes results in both pre- and post-zygotic sorting for coadapted mitonuclear genotypes leading to both speciation and sexual selection, highlighting recent work with songbird coloration.

Geoffrey E. Hill, professor at Auburn University (Alabama, USA) is an evolutionary and behavioral ecologist and ornithologist. He holds a PhD degree from the University of Michigan. He is particularly interested in the role of mitonuclear interactions in the processes of sexual selection and speciation. For many years, carotenoid coloration has been a focused interest in his lab group, as he is currently studying the connections between the female mate choice, carotenoid metabolism, cellular respiration, and mitonuclear compatibility.

[Host: Miguel Carneiro, Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics]

Image credits: Geoffrey E. Hill