Koch, Rebecca E.Buchanan, Katherine L.Casagrande, StefaniaCrino, OndiDowling, Damian K.Hill, Geoffrey E.Hood, Wendy R.McKenzie, MatthewMariette, Mylene M.Noble, Daniel WAPavlova, Alexandra2022-11-100169-5347http://hdl.handle.net/1885/278393Biologists have long appreciated the critical role that energy turnover plays in understanding variation in performance and fitness among individuals. Whole-organism metabolic studies have provided key insights into fundamental ecological and evolutionary processes. However, constraints operating at subcellular levels, such as those operating within the mitochondria, can also play important roles in optimizing metabolism over different energetic demands and time scales. Herein, we explore how mitochondrial aerobic metabolism influences different aspects of organismal performance, such as through changing adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We consider how such insights have advanced our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning key ecological and evolutionary processes, from variation in life-history traits to adaptation to changing thermal conditions, and we highlight key areas for future research.The writing of this manuscript was supported by funding from the Australian Research Council (Australia; FT140100131 to K.L.B., FT160100022 and DP200100892 to D.K.D., DE190100831 to R.E.K., DE170100824 to M.M.M., DP190101168 to F.S., and DP180102359 to P. S.), the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowship (658085), and a Turku Collegium for Science and Medicine Fellowship (Finland) to A.S., the National Science Foundation (United States; IOS1453784 and OIA1736150 to W.R.H. and IOS1754152 to G.E.H.), and the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; Germany) to S.C.application/pdfen-AU© 2020 Elsevier Ltd.bioenergeticsmetabolic ratemitochondrial efficiencymitochondrial uncouplingreactive oxygen specieslife-history trade-off202110.1016/j.tree.2020.12.0062021-11-28