Scot A. Kelchner, Ph.D.

Associate Professor

kelchner@isu.edu
(208) 282-6183
Room 435 Gale Life Sciences Bldg

The Kelchner Lab
Phylogenetics, Plant Systematics, Molecular Evolution

Education

B.Sc.    1992     Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
M.Sc.   1996     Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa
Ph.D.   2003     The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

Biographical Sketch

Dr. Kelchner joined the Department of Biological Sciences in the fall of 2004. After completing an undergraduate degree in Animal Ecology at Iowa State University, he entered the field of plant systematics and worked on Andean and Brazilian alpine bamboos for his Masters degree. He later moved to Australia and completed a Ph.D. at the Australian National University on phylogenetic methods and the evolution of the emu bushes, an endemic group of Australian plants. His postdoctoral experience included the study of ribozyme evolution and a computer simulation experiment on the effectiveness of partitioned models in phylogenetics.

Dr. Kelchner specializes in applied phylogenetics; reconstructing the evolutionary history of organisms and genes is the basis of most of his research. His projects include coordinating an international effort to resolve evolutionary relationships among bamboos (NSF Grant 0515828), biogeography and evolution of Australian emu bushes (Scrophulariaceae: Myoporeae), evolution of group II introns, and horizontal gene transfer among human pathogenic bacteria. His work in theoretical phylogenetics includes the development of DNA sequence alignment protocol, improvement of phylogenetic models, and method testing via computer simulation experiments.

Teaching

BIOL 102 Introductory Biology II, with Lab
BIOL 412/512 Plant Systematics, with Lab
BIOL 491 Senior Seminar: Behavioral Evolution
BIOL 499/599 Biogeography
BIOL 648 Advanced Readings in Systematics
BIOL 691 Applied Phylogenetics

Publications

Fisher AE, Triplett J, Ho C-S, Schiller AD, Oltrogge KA, Schroeder ES, Kelchner SA and Clark LG (in press) Paraphyly in the bamboo subtribe Chusqueinae (Poaceae: Bambusoideae) and a revised infrageneric classification for Chusquea. Systematic Botany.

Duffy AM, Kelchner SA, Wolf PG (2009) Conservation of selection on matK in ferns following an ancient loss of the trnK intron by genome inversion. Gene 438:17-25.

Kelchner SA (2009) “Phylogenetic Trees Made Easy, 3rd Edition” by Barry Hall [review]. Systematic Botany 34:243.

Watts CD, Fisher AE, Shrum CD, Newbold WL, Hansen S, Liu C, Kelchner SA (2008) The D4 Set: primers that target highly variable intron loops in plant chloroplast genomes. Molecular Ecology Resources 8:1344-1347.

Kelchner SA (in press, 2007) Phylogenetic models and model selection for noncoding DNA. Plant Systematics and Evolution  DOI 10.1007/s00606-008-0071-6.

Kelchner, SA and MA Thomas (2007) Model use in phylogenetics: nine key questions. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 22:87-94.

Tank, DC, PM Beardsley, SA Kelchner, and RG Olmstead (2006) Review of the systematics of Scrophulariaceae s.l. and its current disposition. LAS Johnson Invited Review No. 7, Australian Systematic Botany 19:289-307.

Bamboo Phylogeny Group (2006) The Bamboo Phylogeny Project. Bamboo 27:11-14.

Trueman JWH, Pfeil BE, Kelchner SA, Yeates DK (2004) Did stick insects really regain their wings? Systematic Entomology 29:138-139.

Kelchner SA (2002) Group II introns as phylogenetic tools: structure, function, and evolutionary constraints. American Journal of Botany 89:1651-1669.

Kelchner SA (2002) "Molecular systematics and plant evolution" [review]. Systematic Biology 51:382-384.

Kelchner SA (2000) The evolution of non-coding chloroplast DNA and its application in plant systematics. Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden 87:482-498.

Bayer RJ, Puttock CF, Kelchner SA (2000) Phylogeny of South African Gnaphalieae (Asteraceae) based on two non-coding chloroplast sequences. American Journal of Botany 87:259-272.

Kelchner SA, Clark LG (1997) Molecular evolution and phylogenetic utility of the rpl16 intron in Chusquea and the Bambusoideae (Poaceae). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 8:385-397.

Kelchner SA, Wendel JF (1996) Hairpins create minute inversions in non-coding regions of chloroplast DNA. Current Genetics 30:259-262.

Kelchner SA (1992) American robins' use of old nests as cues for nest-site selection in central Iowa. Iowa Bird Life 62(2):32-34.