PhD Student, Fall 2022 – Present
B.S. – University of Florida, 2016-2020
Contact: david.adelhelm@usu.edu
Hi! My name’s David Adelhelm.
I’m interested primarily in how a plant’s niche evolves following spontaneous genome duplication, a phenomenon commonly known as polyploidy. I hope to understand this concept better through the lens of ecology, sex system evolution, and phylogenetics by studying a plant lineage with a rich history of polyploidy, ferns.
I earned my Bachelors degree in Botany from the University of Florida before beginning my graduate studies with Carl. While at UF I had the privilege of working with multiple research groups starting from my sophomore year all the way to graduation. Most of my lab work was split between the labs of Dr. Emily Sessa and Dr. Stuart McDaniel, where I first got indoctrinated to fern and moss biology. Some projects I was involved in include: Genealogy of Flagellate Plants (GoFlag), Community Assembly of South African herbs and Forbs, Population Genetics of Aulacomnium and Hylocomium, and Geometric Morphometrics of the North American Dryopteris Hybrid Complex.
Currently my research is focused on shifts in life cycle (ecology and mating system) associated with genome duplication. Projects I’m involved with to address this include polyploid phasing of genus Nothalaena and of genus Pentagramma.
I also enjoy teaching, with experience in teaching field botany and general biology and evolution, among others.
Field work in South Africa with the Sessa Lab