BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Carrie Reinhardt Adam’s academic career and research has taken her everywhere from Florida Panther habitats to the Florida Everglades. Adams leads a career of excitement which allows for her passions to be her everyday focus. Adams has worked in many environments, working around diverse types of plants and animals. She decided early on, in a high school AP Biology class, that she wanted to be a plant scientist. Since then, Adams earned her bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees on her way to becoming a faculty member at the University of Florida. During her tenure, she has embarked on numerous research projects that illustrate her interest in restoration ecology and plant science.
While Dr. Adams was working on her master's degree, she participated in research that looked at soil seed banks in wetlands of depositional environments. She found this interesting and was intrigued when she was able to see how the plant community changed overtime with each slice of the soil core. During her research, "We tested each soil layer for cesium 137, a radionuclide that exists in soils exclusively due to nuclear testing. Peak fallout years coincide with a peak of testing in 1952 to 1954, and a smaller peak is seen in some soils as a result of the Chernobyl accident in 1984", Adams said. After this experience, Adams became interested in learning more about how to restore wetlands. Her newfound passion led her to further academic study and research in the lesser-known field of restoration ecology.
Adams has conducted significant restoration research in Lake Apopka. Along with another researcher, she planted submerged native plants in the degraded body of water. The results of their experiment yielded positive impacts on the health of Lake Apopka. The methods used in this research study were subsequently used by Florida state environmental agencies
“So, one of our take home messages was don't plant just one clone of one plant, get a lot of diversity to plant many species and plant many plants with many different genetic makeups.” “...and we just got a grant to continue monitoring the vegetation we planted. And now state agencies are using our techniques to plant plants", Adams said.
Throughout her many years as a plant scientist, Adams has conducted research in various environments. Adams is always sure to dress for the occasion. “I've got a super strange closet. I wear rubber waders, sometimes. Sometimes it's knee boots, sometimes it's knee boots and rattlesnake traps. Other times it is a bikini and a rash guard, because we're looking at the aquatic plants”, Adams said. While in the Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge, she noticed a panther footprint in a plot where she was working. Adams also dealt with rattlesnakes while in the field.
“And when I tried to take data in one of my plots I looked, and there was like a depression that had filled with water, and there were a lot of seeds in it, I realized that the depression was a panther footprint", Adams said.
“And the rattlesnakes really like to coil around my plot markers for a revegetation study I did there", Adams said.
During one project, Adams and her fellow researchers used above ground pools to conduct research.
“And one project where we created little mini-Lake Apopka's. And so, we used those above ground pools that are like three feet deep, and then planted our plants in there so we could follow them and monitor their survival and growth", Adams said.
While in the marshes around Lake Apopka, the presence of alligators was always a possibility. In one instance, Adams was unable to collect data due to an alligator being in one of their research plots.“So, what the practitioners tell me is, if you're ever like working in a Florida wetland, and you're not afraid of gators, it's because you're not paying attention", Adams said.
Adams’s work in plant science and restoration ecology takes her to many different places. Pursuing a degree in this field can lead to an exciting career where one can work in an office, wetlands, marshes, etc. A wide variety of options exist in the field. “So, I think that it's got a lot of job opportunities, you know, you could keep going on for more training, or you could work for an agency, or you could work for a nonprofit”, Adams said. Her experiences illustrate a career field with numerous opportunities for diverse work experiences. If you are interested in plant science, restoration ecology is a wide and engaging field to work in. The UF/IFAS Plant Science department is a great way to gain entry into this specialization. If you would like to work directly with restoration ecology, please visit the Alachua Conservation Trust website to look for any upcoming events and programs.