High-throughput experimental evolution using barcoded strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Experimental evolution in microorganisms is used to empirically address a wide range of evolutionary questions. Assays where strains from different timepoints in an evolution experiment are grown in direct competition with a common reference strain are used to quantify fitness and are a central component of experimental evolution research. These assays are resource intensive and hundreds are required for even simple study designs, limiting the scope of experimental evolution studies and the resolution of fitness measures. We use genetic barcoding to overcome these limitations and present a barcoded experimental evolution system designed explicitly for fitness assay efficiency, flexibility, and throughput.