Unlike the nuclear genome, the mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) is small, circular, and maternally inherited. This simplifies lineage tracing and can guide inferences of evolutionary relationships as part of phylogenetic analyses. mtDNA can also be used to study aspects of population genetics, such as migration patterns and population structure. As it is often well preserved, mtDNA is also used in paleogenetic analyses.

This Collection welcomes submissions of original research focussed on mitochondrial genetics from all aspects of evolutionary biology.