# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# positions[].organizations[].label
Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management

# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# positions[].organizations[].parent[].label
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# overview
Dr. Jessica Light received her Ph.D. in Zoology from Louisiana State University in 2005 and joined the Wildlife and Fisheries Science Department at Texas A&M University as an Assistant Professor in 2009. Dr. Light's uses multidisciplinary methods to address questions about evolutionary biology in mammals and parasites. Over her career, she has received nearly $7 million in research funding from agencies such as the National Science Foundation and she has written 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and two book chapters. Dr. Light has chaired or co-chaired six doctoral committees, 10 mater's committees, and served on 32 others. Dr. Light teaches undergraduate courses in natural history and mammalogy, and graduate seminars in evolutionary biology. She continually updates her courses, and has received several teaching awards within her department. Dr. Light served as an associate editor for two top-tier journals and she is active in multiple academic societies in leadership roles.

# keywords[]
30 Agricultural, Veterinary And Food Sciences

# educationAndTraining[].organization.label
Louisiana State University - (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, United States)

# publications[].label
Red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) aggression influences the behavior of three hard tick species.

# publications[].label
Eight novel polymorphic microsatellites in the hispid pocket mouse (Chaetodipus hispidus) and cross-amplification in other Perognathinae species (Rodentia: Heteromyidae)

# publications[].label
Characterization of 17 novel polymorphic microsatellite loci in the mammal chewing louse Geomydoecus ewingi (Insecta: Phthiraptera) for population genetic analyses.

# publications[].label
Taxonomic scale and community organization impact observed latitudinal gradients of parasite diversity

# publications[].label
Transformational Principles for NEON Sampling of Mammalian Parasites and Pathogens: A Response to Springer and Colleagues

# publications[].label
Cranial morphology of captive mammals: a meta-analysis.

# publications[].label
POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE BAIRD'S POCKET GOPHER, GEOMYS BREVICEPS, IN EASTERN TEXAS

# publications[].label
Phylogeny of the leech family Glossiphoniidae based on mitochondrial gene sequences and morphological data.

# publications[].label
Geographic distributions and origins of human head lice (Pediculus humanus capitis) based on mitochondrial data.

# publications[].label
Systematics of a Rare Species of Pocket Gopher, Pappogeomys alcorni

# publications[].label
Populations at risk: conservation genetics of kangaroo mice (Microdipodops) of the Great Basin Desert.

# publications[].label
Basal Clades and Molecular Systematics of Heteromyid Rodents

# publications[].label
Phylogenetics and host associations of Fahrenholzia sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura)

# publications[].label
Decreased small mammal and on-host tick abundance in association with invasive red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta).

# publications[].label
Phylogeographic assessment of the Heermann's kangaroo rat (Dipodomys heermanni)

# publications[].label
Loss of genetic diversity, recovery and allele surfing in a colonizing parasite, Geomydoecus aurei.

# publications[].label
Phthiraptera systematics: past, present, and future

# publications[].label
Characterization of 10 polymorphic loci in the Baird's pocket gopher (Geomys breviceps) and cross-amplification in other gopher species

# publications[].label
Building Natural History Collections for the Twenty-First Century and Beyond

# publications[].label
Phylogeographic assessment of the northern pygmy mouse, Baiomys taylori

# publications[].label
Palaeoclimatic events, dispersal and migratory losses along the Afro-European axis as drivers of biogeographic distribution in Sylvia warblers.

# publications[].label
An Assessment of Host Associations, Geographic Distributions, and Genetic Diversity of Avian Chewing Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from Benin.

# publications[].label
Origin and evolution of the Haustoriidae (Amphipoda): a eulogy for the Haustoriidira

# publications[].label
March Mammal Madness: a Story about Science and Social Media

# publications[].label
Evolutionary Relationships of Pocket Gophers of the Genus Pappogeomys (Rodentia: Geomyidae)

# publications[].label
Molecular phylogeny and novel host associations of avian chewing lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from South Africa

# publications[].label
Origin and evolution of the Haustoriidae (Amphipoda): A eulogy for the Haustoriidira

# publications[].label
Cophylogeny on a fine scale: Geomydoecus chewing lice and their pocket gopher hosts, Pappogeomys bulleri.

# publications[].label
Isolation and characterization of 17 polymorphic microsatellite loci in the kangaroo mouse, genus Microdipodops (Rodentia: Heteromyidae)

# publications[].label
Molecular identification of lice from pre-Columbian mummies.

# publications[].label
Mutational meltdown in primary endosymbionts: selection limits Muller's ratchet.

# publications[].label
Rodent louse diversity, phylogeny, and cospeciation in the Manu Biosphere Reserve, Peru

# publications[].label
Development and Characterization of 12 Novel Polymorphic Microsatellite Loci for the Mammal Chewing Louse Geomydoecus aurei (Insecta: Phthiraptera) and a Comparison of Next-Generation Sequencing Approaches for Use in Parasitology.

# publications[].label
Baseline biodiversity assessment of South Texas small mammals and host-associated hard ticks with no detection of selected tick-borne pathogens

# publications[].label
Host associations, host switching, geographic location, and potential reticulate evolution shape the systematics of sucking lice (Psocodea: Anoplura) belonging to the genera Hoplopleura and Polyplax

# publications[].label
Conservation Genetics of Kangaroo Mice, Genus Microdipodops

# publications[].label
Checklist of ectoparasites of Canidae and Felidae in Mexico

# publications[].label
Effects of 16S rDNA sampling on estimates of the number of endosymbiont lineages in sucking lice.

# publications[].label
Survey of a Rodent and Tick Community in East-Central Texas

# publications[].label
Pair of lice lost or parasites regained: the evolutionary history of anthropoid primate lice.

# publications[].label
Multigene analysis of phylogenetic relationships and divergence times of primate sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura).

# publications[].label
Codivergence in heteromyid rodents (Rodentia: heteromyidae) and their sucking lice of the genus Fahrenholzia (Phthiraptera: anoplura).

# publications[].label
Phylogeography and taxonomic revision of Nelson's pocket mouse (Chaetodipus nelsoni)

# publications[].label
Origin of clothing lice indicates early clothing use by anatomically modern humans in Africa.

# publications[].label
River barriers and cryptic biodiversity in an evolutionary museum.

# publications[].label
Cryptic Species in the Mexican Pocket Gopher Cratogeomys merriami

# publications[].label
Restricted Geographic Sampling Yields Low Parasitism Rates but Surprisingly Diverse Host Associations in Avian Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from South Texas

# publications[].label
Cophylogeny and disparate rates of evolution in sympatric lineages of chewing lice on pocket gophers.

# publications[].label
Molecular and morphological evidence of the diversification in the gray mouse opossum, Tlacuatzin canescens (Didelphimorphia), with description of a new species

# publications[].label
Taxonomic status of Chaetodipus lineatus and phylogeography of the Chaetodipus nelsoni species group

# publications[].label
Phylogeography of sand-burrowing amphipods (Haustoriidae) supports an ancient suture zone in the Gulf of Mexico

# publications[].label
Genetic analysis of human head and clothing lice indicates an early origin of clothing use in archaic hominins.

# publications[].label
The emerging role of mammal collections in 21st century mammalogy

# publications[].label
Population structure of the Townsend's big-eared bat (Corynorhinus townsendii townsendii) in California

# publications[].label
Multiple lineages of lice pass through the K-Pg boundary.

# publications[].label
Remarkable levels of avian louse (Insecta: Phthiraptera) diversity in the Congo Basin

# publications[].label
Trypanosoma cruzi and Incidental Sarcocystis spp. in Endangered Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) of South Texas, USA.

# publications[].label
SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF ENDEMIC SULAWESI SQUIRRELS (RODENTIA, SCIURIDAE), WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF NEW SPECIES OF ASSOCIATED SUCKING LICE (INSECTA, ANOPLURA), AND PHYLOGENETTC AND ZOOGEOGRAPHIC ASSESSMENTS OF SCIURID LICE

# publications[].label
Temporal and spatial dynamics of competitive parapatry in chewing lice.

# publications[].label
Building a community-based taxonomic resource for digitization of parasites and their hosts

# publications[].label
Systematic Review of Endemic Sulawesi Squirrels (Rodentia, Sciuridae), with Descriptions of New Species of Associated Sucking Lice (Insecta, Anoplura), and Phylogenetic and Zoogeographic Assessments of Sciurid Lice

# publications[].publisher
American Museum of Natural History (BioOne sponsored)

# publications[].label
Parasitic Lice Help to Fill in the Gaps of Early Hominid History

# publications[].label
Novel Poxvirus in Proliferative Lesions of Wild Rodents in East Central Texas, USA.

# publications[].publisher
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

# publications[].label
Phylogeography and subspecies revision of the hispid pocket mouse, Chaetodipus hispidus (Rodentia: Heteromyidae)

# publications[].label
Eggfeeding in the freshwater piscicolid leech Cystobranchus virginicus (Annelida, Hirudinea)

# publications[].label
Changes in canid cranial morphology induced by captivity and conservation implications

# publications[].label
Evolutionary history of mammalian sucking lice (Phthiraptera: Anoplura).

# publications[].label
Phylogeography, systematics, and conservation status of pocket mice (Chaetodipus) of the SonoranSinaloan thorn forest

# publications[].label
Systematic Revision of Pocket Gophers of the Cratogeomys gymnurus Species Group

# publications[].label
What's in a name: the taxonomic status of human head and body lice.

# publications[].label
A review of filarial nematodes parasitizing tick vectors: unraveling global patterns in species diversity, host associations, and interactions with tick-borne pathogens.

# publications[].label
Redescription of Cystobranchus virginicus Hoffman, 1964, and Cystobranchus salmositicus (Meyer, 1946) (Hirudinida: Piscicolidae) from Freshwater Fishes in North America

# publications[].label
One of these wolves is not like the other: morphological effects and conservation implications of captivity in Mexican wolves

# publications[].label
Updating the distribution of American black bears (Ursus americanus) in Texas using community science, state agencies, and natural history collections

# publications[].label
Extending mammal specimens with their essential phenotypic traits

# publications[].label
Trace mineral supplies for populations of little and large herbivores.

# publications[].label
March Mammal Madness and the power of narrative in science outreach.

# researcherOn[].label
OPUS: MCS: Using modern methods with historical museum specimens to elucidate the evolution of a widespread, ecologically important rodent species

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
Directorate for Biological Sciences - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Evolutionary Insights from Host-Parasite Interactions: Systematics, Population Genetics, and Coevolution

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
United States Department of Agriculture - (Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States)

# researcherOn[].label
Collaborative Research: Digitization TCN: Digitizing collections to trace parasite-host associations and predict the spread of vector-borne disease

# researcherOn[].awardedBy.label
National Science Foundation - (Arlington, Virginia, United States)

# streetAddress
Texas A&M University; Wildlife & Fisheries Sciences; 2258 TAMU

# organizations[]
Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management

# organizations[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# schools[]
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

# etdChairOf[].label
Andersen, John (2012-05). Population Genetics of Kangaroo Mice, Microdipodops (Rodentia: Heteromyidae). Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Downs, Bridgett Benedict (2018-08). Phylogeographic Assessment of the Heermann's Kangaroo Rat. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Downs, Bridgett Benedict (2018-07). Phylogeographic Assessment of the Heermann's Kangaroo Rat. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Galan, Aleyda Patricia (2016-12). Baseline Biodiversity Assessment of Small Mammals, Ticks, and Tick-borne Pathogens in South Texas. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Welborn, Sarah (2012-08). Population Genetic Analyses of the Baird's Pocket Gopher, Geomys breviceps. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Takano, Oona Mariko (2016-12). Host Associations, Phylogenetics, and Biogeography of Parasitic Avian Chewing Lice (Insecta: Phthiraptera) from Sub-Saharan Africa. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Rodriguez Jr., Jaime Eleazar (2014-08). Ecology of a Rodent-Tick-Pathogen Community in East-Central Texas. Master's Thesis.

# etdChairOf[].label
Nessner, Caitlin Elizabeth (2014-05). Population Genetic Study of the Chewing Louse Geomydoecus ewingi. Master's Thesis.