Ellie (Leigh) Becklund

I am a Ph.D. student at Ohio University interested in plant evolution and biogeography, particularly in legumes (plant family: Fabaceae). I am currently studying the systematics and evolution of Neptunia (commonly known as “puffs”), a worldwide pantropical genus of aquatic, semi-aquatic, and terrestrial species, some of which have agricultural and medicinal uses. Through a genomics approach I am evaluating Neptunia species relationships and distributions and correlating environmental factors that led two species to have global distributions. I am also investigating floral sterility and aquatic adaptations across legumes, both common in Neptunia and have likely evolved several different times in Fabaceae. In 2020 I earned my M.S. degree in Biology at Northern Arizona University working with Dr. Tina Ayers, where I studied the phylogeny of the legume genus Errazurizia and elevated one of the species into its own genus, Pictarena.