Austin R. Kelly Curador

Unido: 05.ago.2017 Última actividad: 27.mar.2024 iNaturalist Patrocinador mensual desde diciembre 2020

Company Website: ARKEcological.com
Personal Website: AustinRKelly.com
Email: ARKBotany@gmail.com
Cell: 254-477-3213


I am a PhD student at Texas A&M University with the Wilcox Ecohydrology Lab in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department studying Texas savanna ecosystems and their diverse plant communities, potential methods for ecological restoration, sustainable environmental management, and ecohydrological connectivity and resilience.

Former Work Experience:

~ Field Botanist with Elliott Environmental Consulting at the Savannah River Site, South Carolina; Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument; and more.

~ Lecturer for RWFM 313 - Vegetation Sampling & Monitoring - Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management - Texas A&M University

~ Coach & Advisor for the Texas A&M University Collegiate International Plant Identification Team and Range Club

~ Graduate Teaching Assistant for ESSM 203 - Dendrology (Forest Trees of North America) in the Ecology and Conservation Biology Department - Texas A&M University

~ Assistant Curator and Floristic Botanist at the S.M. Tracy Herbarium - Texas A&M University

~ Contracted Floristic Botanist with Nelson Byrd Woltz Landscape Architects collecting and identifying over 350 species in coastal prairie, wetlands, & woodlands

~ Lab Instructor for ESSM 303 - Agrostology (Grass Systematics) & ESSM 304 - Plant Taxonomy courses in the Ecosystem Science and Management Department at Texas A&M University

~ Research Technician for the Texas A&M Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences Department handling chemical and biological care, maintenance, & disposal

~ Laboratory Assistant in the Mateos Genetics Laboratory working with care & maintenance of Drosophila

~ Harvest Manager & Weed Management Specialist at Fambro Family Farms

I love plants, mushrooms, and all other forms of wildlife and I am always ecstatic to learn more as well as teaching others all that I know. I consider myself a wanderlusting world traveler and an interdisciplinary naturalist.

Primarily, I am a plant community and pyric-herbivory ecologist, so my main training is in Botany and Ecosystem Interactions but I have also had extensive biological training in Herpetology, Entomology, Lichenology, Bryology, and Mycology along with minor training in Ornithology and Mammology, but I plan to expand upon those in the future as well.


The iNaturalist-based projects I've been administrating have similar interdisciplinary specializations but I have recently focused on plant pathogens & interactions such as:

These projects are to document fungal pathogens of grasses (Poaceae) that infect the inflorescences (seedheads) in particular. The second and third projects are presumed to be currently undescribed species, so the projects are attempting to map their current known species ranges.

~ Fungal Diseases of Grass Inflorescences (this project collates many of the known fungal pathogens residing on grass infloresences)
~ Indiangrass Ergot (Claviceps on Sorghastrum nutans)
~ Purpletop Smut (Ustilaginaceae on Tridens flavus)

These Gall Forming Arthropod Projects are attempting to determine the species ranges of currently undescribed gall mites on two species of shrubs native to Texas:

~ Diospyros texana (Texas persimmon) Galls
~ Sideroxylon lanuginosum (Gum bumelia) Galls


Here are a few iNat tools & references I like to use:
Heat Map of my Observations (to see your own map, change the "user_id=" in the URL)

Heat Map of my Identifications (to see your own map, change the "ident_user_id=" in the URL)

How to use iNaturalist’s Search URLs - wiki


Proud to be the top global identifier for the following taxa:

Animals (Animalia):
~ Family Ailuridae, Genus Ailurus, & Ailurus fulgens (Red Pandas)
~ Family Iniidae, Genus Inia, & Inia geoffrensis (Amazon/Pink River Dolphin)
~ Family Tyrannosauridae, Genus Tyrannosaurus, & Tyrannosaurus rex
~ Subfamily Ailuropodinae, Genus Ailuropoda, & Ailuropoda melanoleuca (Giant Pandas)

Plants (Exluding Grasses):
~ Krameria lanceolata (Prairie Bur)
~ Silphium albiflorum (White Rosinweed)
~ Tragia urticifolia (Nettleleaf Noseburn)

Grasses (Poaceae Family):
~ Genus Cortaderia & Cortaderia selloana (Pampasgrass)
~ Genus Chasmanthium & Chasmanthium latifolium (Inland Wood Oats)
~ Genus Hopia & Hopia obtusa (Vine Mesquite)
~ Genus Oryza & Oryza sativa (Rice)
~ Genus Zea & Zea mays (Corn/Maize)
~ Bouteloua curtipendula (Sideoats Grama)
~ Bouteloua dactyloides (Buffalograss)
~ Paspalum plicatulum (Brownseed Paspalum)
~ Sorghum bicolor (Sorghum/Milo)

Fungi:
~ Genus Claviceps (Ergots)
~ Anthracocystis paspali-thunbergii (Paspalum Smut) - Top Observer
~ Atkinsonella texensis (Texas Wintergrass Fungus)
~ Sphacelotheca polygoni-serrulati (False Polygonaceae Smut)
~ Cercospora adusta (Privet Leaf Spot)
~ Claviceps africana (African Sorghum Ergot)
~ Claviceps grohii (Carex Ergot)
~ Claviceps maximensis (Guineagrass Ergot)
~ Claviceps nigricans (Eleocharis Ergot)
~ Claviceps paspali (Paspalum Ergot)
~ Claviceps purpurea (Rye Ergot)
~ Claviceps pusilla (Bluestem Ergot)
~ Claviceps spartinae (Cordgrass Ergot)
~ Claviceps zizaniae (Wildrice Ergot)
~ Epicoccum andropogonis
~ Melanotaenium endogenum (Bedstraw Smut)
~ Ustilago cynodontis (Bermudagrass Smut)
~ Ustilago maydis (Corn Smut)

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