Morning glory as a powerful model in ecological genomics: tracing adaptation through both natural and artificial selection

Abstract

Many diverse questions in ecology and evolution have been addressed using species belonging to the genus Ipomoea, commonly referred to as the morning glory genus. Ipomoea exhibits a wide range of diversity in floral color, growth form, mating system and tolerance to environmental factors, both within and among species, and as such has been a focal group of many investigations in the last 80 years. In this review, we highlight recent work to which Ipomoea species have contributed-from studies of the mating system, molecular evolution, plant-herbivore and plant-parasite interactions to their impact on and importance to agriculture. Genomic resources for this group are currently under development, and given the breadth of studies and history of this group, combined with an expanding genetics toolkit, we argue that Ipomoea should provide the next model organism for ecological genomics.

An examination of fitness costs of glyphosate resistance in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea

“…This species, which is both an ecological genetics model and a noxious agricultural weed (Baucom et al. ), exhibits resistance to the field‐rate application of glyphosate – the active ingredient in RoundUp, which is the most widely used herbicide in current‐day agriculture (Kuester et al. ).…”

“…Here, we use progeny generated from an artificial selection design to determine whether there are fitness costs associated with herbicide resistance in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea. This species, which is both an ecological genetics model and a noxious agricultural weed (Baucom et al 2011), exhibits resistance to the field-rate application of glyphosatethe active ingredient in RoundUp, which is the most widely used herbicide in current-day agriculture (Kuester et al 2015). The evolutionary trajectory of resistance has previously been investigated in I. purpurea using a quantitative genetics framework, with the following general conclusions: genetic variation for this trait is present within this species (Baucom and Mauricio 2008), and, resistance, scored as a visual injury rating 2 weeks postglyphosate application, is under positive selection in field conditions (Baucom and Mauricio 2008).…”

The promise of genomics in the study of plant-pollinator interactions

“…Although the term 'genomic' tends to imply the analysis of entire genomes and genome assembly, genomic methods themselves can be applied to other practical aspects of pollinator-plant interactions [40]. Molecular methods of documenting species interactions began with traditional immunological and genetic methods (reviewed in [88]) but progressed to genomic methodologies, in particular NGS (reviewed in [89]).…”

Shifts in outcrossing rates and changes to floral traits are associated with the evolution of herbicide resistance in the common morning glory

“…Ipomoea purpurea, an annual weed of agricultural fields and disturbed sites in the south-eastern and Midwest USA, is a model for examining persistence in stressful and competitive environments (Baucom et al 2011;Chaney & Baucom 2014). As such the species is a particularly relevant candidate for studying how mating systems may evolve under regimes of human-mediated selection.…”