Research - Allan Nelson

 

Students working in the lab

             Several students have worked on research projects in my lab.  Two undergraduate students, Elizabeth Watson and Mark Nelson are working on the Texas Kangaroo Rat, a state threatened mammal species.  They are examining its ecological preferences and using molecular markers to examine genetic diversity in populations.  Sara Harsley is working on a Flora of Hunewell Ranch in Erath County.  Jeff Brister has compared the floristics and ecology of wetlands of different ages.  Shannon Burgess is working on county floral records from Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.  Chad Stasey is examining vegetation associated with the Texas kangaroo rat at two sites with different grazing regimes.  Staci McPhail has recently completed a paper on Eastland County floristic records.

             In the past Angela Roberson, Cherlyn Jackson, Marti Samuel, and Jennifer Tucker used molecular techniques to examine genetic diversity in tetraploid peanuts. Jennifer Jurney, Shyam Shindhar, and Nathan Leslie screened wild plants and related hay crops for drought resistant genes. Angela Day and Adam Lucksinger helped make floristic comparisons of Texas Barrier Islands. Lashea Macke helped examine vegetational changes in four communities at Padre Island National Seashore (PINS) and LaShea Macke and Travis Wilburn also helped to make a Checklist of PINS plants.

The following publications have involved students from my laboratory:

 

             Goetze, J., W. C. Stasey, A. D. Nelson, and P. D. Sudman.  2007.  Mapping burrows of Texas kangaroo rats to examine soil types, vegetation, and estimate population size on an intensely grazed pasture in Wichita County, Texas.  Texas Journal of Science.  59:  11-22.

             Nelson, A. D., M. Samuel,  J. Tucker, C. Jackson, and A. Stahlecker Roberson.  2006.  Assessment of genetic diversity and sectional boundaries in tetraploid peanuts (Arachis).  Peanut Science.  33:  64-67.

             McPhail S., and A. D. Nelson.  2005.  Range extensions and county records from the southwestern Cross Timbers in Eastland County, Texas.  Texas Journal of Science.  57:211-222.

             Nelson, A.D., J. R. Goetze, and A. Lucksinger. 2001. A comparison of the flora of northern Padre Island to that of Matagorda Island, Mustang Island and southern Padre Island, Texas. Occasional Papers, Museum of Texas Tech University 209: 1-23.

             Nelson, A. D., J. R. Goetze, I. G. Negrete, V. E. French, M. P. Johnson, and L. Macke. 2000. Vegetational analysis and floristics of four communities in the Big Ball Hill region of Padre Island National Seashore. Southwestern Association of Naturalists 45: 431-442.

             Nelson, A. D., J. Goetze, I. G. Negrete, L. Macke, T. Wilburn, A. Day, and A. Lucksinger. 2000. A floristic survey of Padre Island National Seashore, Texas with comparisons to other barrier islands along the Texas Coast. Padre Island National Seashore, Corpus Christi, Texas. 100 pp.

Negrete I. G., A. D. Nelson, J. Goetze, L. Macke, T. Wilburn, and A. Day. 1999. A Checklist for the vascular plants of Padre Island National Seashore. Sida 18:1241-1259.

 

The following presentations have been made by students in my laboratory since 2000:

             Harsley, S. E. and A. D. Nelson.  2007.  A flora of the vascular plants of Erath County, Texas. Fifth Annual TAMU System Pathways Student Research Symposium.

             Nelson, M. A., E. Watson, A. D. Nelson, and J. R. Goetze.  2007.  Using AFLP to examine genetic diversity in the Texas kangaroo rat.  Fifth Annual TAMU System Pathways Student Research Symposium.

             Watson, E., M. A. Nelson, J. R. Goetze, and A. D. Nelson.  2007.  Comparison of ecological preferences for the Texas kangaroo rat. Fifth Annual TAMU System Pathways Student Research Symposium.           

             Harsley, S. E. and A. D. Nelson.  2007.  A flora of the vascular plants of Erath County, Texas. Southwestern Association of Naturalists.

             Stasey, W. C., P. D. Sudman, J. R. Goetze, A. D. Nelson, R. D. Wittie.  2007.   Evaluation of Texas Kangaroo Rat:  Habitat and population estimation.  Southwestern Association of Naturalists.

Brister, J. S. and A. D. Nelson.  2006. Soils, hydrology, vegetative ecology, and floristics of natural and constructed wetlands along the Leon River in the West Cross Timbers, Comanche Co., Texas. 109th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science (TAS).

                 Barham, K., J. W. Priest, and A. D. Nelson.  2006.  Heart Rate Variability of Active and Inactive Athletes During Rest and Stress.  53rd Annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine.

             Brister, J. S. and A. D. Nelson.  2006. Soils, hydrology, vegetative ecology, and floristics of natural and constructed wetlands along the Leon River in the West Cross Timbers, Comanche Co., Texas.  Third Annual TAMUS Pathways Student Research Symposium. 

             Brister, J. S. and A. D. Nelson.  2005. Hydrology, soils, ecology, and floristics of natural and constructed wetlands along the Leon River in the West Cross Timbers, Comanche Co., Texas.  Southwestern Association of Naturalists.

             Brister, J. and A. D. Nelson.  2004. Flora and ecology of natural and constructed wetlands along the Leon River in the Western Cross Timbers, Comanche Co., Texas. 107th Annual Meeting of the TAS.

             Brister, J. S. and A. D. Nelson. 2002. Floristics and vegetative ecology comparison in wetlands of different ages. 105th Annual Meeting of the TAS.

             Shridhar, S., H. B. Rathburn, and A.D. Nelson. 2002. Analysis of peanut germplasm for drought-responsive genes. 105th Annual Meeting of the TAS.

             Nelson, A., A. Lucksinger, and J. Goetze. 2001. A comparison of the flora of northern Padre Island to that of Matagorda Island, Mustang Island and southern Padre Island, Texas. 104th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science.

             Jurney, J., J. Brister, N. Leslie, K. Smith, H. Rathburn, and A. Nelson. 2001. Assessment of wild and cultivated polyploid peanuts (Arachis) for the presence of dehydrin-like DNA sequences. 104th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science.

             Samuel, M., C. Jackson, and A. Nelson. 2001. Assessment of genetic diversity in allopolyploid peanuts (Arachis). 104th Annual Meeting of the Texas Academy of Science.

             Samuel, M. and A. D. Nelson. 2001. Assessment of genetic diversity in allopolyploid peanuts (Arachis). South-Central Regional Tri-Beta Convention.

             Samuel, M. and A. D. Nelson. 2001. Using randomly amplified polymorphic DNA to assess genetic diversity in allopolyploid peanuts (Arachis). American Chemical Society, Dallas-Fort Worth Section.

             Roberson, A. and A. Nelson. 2000. Assessment of genetic diversity in tetraploid peanuts (Arachis). 103rd Annual Meeting of the TAS.