ID: 613 / 126

Category: Symposia

Track: Pending

Proposed Symposium Title: SYSTEMATICS AND EVOLUTION OF CONVOLVULACEAE: TOWARDS A NEW FAMILY CLASSIFICATION

Abstract: Convolvulaceae is an economically important family with a wide tropical distribution, including the very attractive morning glories and bindweeds, the crop sweet potato, and numerous species with ornamental, medicinal, or food uses. It comprises c. 2,000 species, very unevenly distributed across 61 genera: the largest genus Ipomoea, with c. 650 species on its own, and a few dozen genera contain less than 5 species. Recent molecular phylogenomic advances have been brought clarity to the higher level relationships in the family (subfamilies and tribes), and species-level relationships within major genera (e.g. Cuscuta, Convolvulus, Ipomoea, Argyreia, Distimake). However, these advances bring new challenges in reconciling the newly resolved relationships and the traditional classification, which will require a consensus among the specialists working in the family, and an integration of a range of available data of taxonomic significance for this group, such as phytochemistry, anatomy, pollen or flower morphology. Talks on a range of systematic topics, as well as evolutionary, genomic, ecological or morphological research, are welcome, as a contribution to the integrative and collaborative approach that we hope will shape the future of systematic and evolutionary studies in the family, particularly towards an updated classification of the most challenging groups, which has been lagging behind.

Speaker 1: Ana Rita Simões Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Title: An overview of the classification of Convolvulaceae with insights from phylogenomic analyses

Speaker 2: Sasa Stefanovic University of Toronto, Missisauga, Canada Title: Systematics and Evolutionary biology of the parasitic genus Cuscuta L. (Convolvulaceae)

Speaker 3: Lauren Eserman Atlanta Botanical Garden Title: Evolution of morning glories and sweet potato wild relatives (tribe Ipomoeeae), and its contribution to systematic advances of the group

Topics (Up to three): Crops and Wild Relatives

Topic 2: Systematics

Topic 3: Phylogenetics and Phylogenomics

Justification: The current classification of Convolvulaceae, especially at higher levels (subfamilies and tribes), offers a number of challenges, and some taxonomic groups are particularly more difficult, with lack of consensus between specialists on how to resolve the systematic problems. This Symposium would present a timely opportunity for an in-person meeting of specialists working on taxonomy, systematics and evolution of Convolvulaceae, and offer a space for insightful discussions on consensual solutions for the outstanding issues, in particular towards a new classification system for the family - which should stem from a data integrative and collaborative approach, i.e. take into account the results of ongoing research by different labs worldwide, and accommodate concerns for the usefulness of the classification system for a range of research fields.