Jessica Wooten

Dr. Jessica Wooten

Lead Faculty
Natural Sciences
wootenj@franklin.edu

Jessica Wooten is a faculty member in the Division of Arts and Sciences at Franklin University specializing in the sciences. Prior to joining Franklin, Wooten was at The University of Alabama where she earned a Ph.D. in Biological Sciences with an emphasis in Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics. Specifically, her research interests are broad, borrowing techniques from various disciplines including population genetics, phylogeography, electron microscopy, morphology, and ecology to investigate factors that influence lineage divergence in amphibians and reptiles. Currently, she is writing the last chapter of her dissertation, which is titled “Comparative Phylogeography in dusky salamanders, genus Desmognathus, in the Southern Appalachian Mountains”.

Jessica is working on collaborative research projects with Dr. Thomas Pauley, a professor at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia to investigate natural history and ecology in various amphibian and reptile species in West Virginia, and with Dr. Carlos Camp, a professor at Piedmont College in Demorest, Georgia to study morphological homoplasy in dusky salamanders (genus Desmognathus). In the future, Jessica plans to begin research projects to study ecology, phylogeography, and natural history of amphibians and reptiles in Ohio.

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Education

Ph.D.,	University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, 2008, Biological Sciences: Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics
M.S.,	Marshall University, 2001, Biological Sciences
B.S.,	Marshall University, 1999, Biological Sciences, Minor in Chemistry

Academic/Professional Experience

2000-2007	The University of Alabama, Graduate Teaching Assistant, Vertebrate Zoology laboratory, Microscopical Techniques (the scanning electron microscope portion of the lab), Principles of Biology I laboratory for honor students, Principles of Biology II lecture, Human Physiology laboratory – (the semester before teaching, I helped in the development and implementation of the topics for this course), Principles of Biology I laboratory, and Stream Ecology laboratory
2001-2003	West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Instructor of Biology, General Biology I lecture, General Biology II lecture, General Biology I laboratory, General Biology II laboratory, Anatomy and Physiology II, Zoology: Animals as Organisms and the accompanying laboratory, and Introduction to General Chemistry and the accompanying laboratory
2003-Present	West Virginia University at Parkersburg, Adjunct Instructor, Developed and teach distant learning courses including General Biology I lecture, General Biology I laboratory, General Biology II lecture, and General Biology II laboratory using WebCT and the internet.
2000-2001	Marshall University, Graduate Research Assistant, Herpetology laboratory, and Ornithology laboratory

Professional Development

2004-2005	Graduate Teaching Fellow at the University of Alabama
2004-2006	Teaching Advancement Program at the University of Alabama
2003	Graduate Teaching Fellowship: A Workshop for New Teaching Assistants at the University of Alabama
2001-2002	Twenty-first and Twenty-second Annual Workshops in International Studies: West Virginia Consortium for Faculty and Course Development in International Studies, Lakeview Resort and Conference Center, Morgantown, West Virginia

Publications/Presentations

(Submitted)	Wooten, Jessica A., Tolley-Jordan, Lori, and Leslie J. Rissler. Validation of the phylogenetic signals in AFLP data: testing the utility and reliability of AFLP in closely related taxa. In review to BMC Bioinfomatics.
(Submitted)	Wooten, Jessica A., Marcum, Conley, and Thomas K. Pauley. Review of Nesting Ecology and Larval Period for Desmognathus ochrophaeus (Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae) with Specific Comments for Populations in West Virginia. In review to Northeastern Naturalist.
2005-2008	Research: Phylogeography - Dissertation - Comparative phylogeography in dusky salamanders, genus Desmognathus, in the southern Appalachian Mountains.
2007	Wooten, Jessica A. and Thomas K. Pauley. 2007. Sexual size dimorphism in dusky salamanders, Desmognathus. In press The West Virginia Academy of Science.
2007	Wooten, Jessica A. and Thomas K. Pauley 2007. Amphibians in the upland habitats of the New River Gorge National River, West Virginia. In press The West Virginia Academy of Science.
2007	Wooten, Jessica A. and Leslie J. Rissler. Desmognathus quadramaculatus Holbrook, 1840 (Amphibia: Caudata: Plethodontidae): proposed conservation of usage of the specific name by the designation of a neotype. In press The Bulletin for Zoological Nomenclature (Sep 2007).
2007	Bonett, R.M., Kozak, K.H., Vieites, D.R., Bare, A., Wooten, J.A., and S.E. Trauth. 2007. The importance of comparative phylogeography in diagnosing introduced species: A lesson from the seal salamander, Desmognathus monticola. In press to BMC Evolutionary Biology 7:7.
2007	Secor, Stephen M., Wooten, Jessica A., and Christian L. Cox. 2007. Effects of meal size, meal type, and body temperature on the specific dynamic action of anurans. Journal of Comparative Physiology 177(2):165-182.
2006	Body size relationships and allometry in the dusky salamanders, Desmognathus at the American Society for Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in New Orleans, Louisiana
2006	Allometric relationships of body size in the dusky salamanders, Desmognathus (Caudata: Plethodontidae) at the Ecological Society of America meeting in Memphis, Tennessee
2005	Multiple approaches to identifying lineage distribution in the black-bellied salamander, Desmognathus quadramaculatus at the Sigma Xi meeting in Seattle, Washington
2005	Wooten, Jessica A. and Leslie J. Rissler. 2005. Geographic distribution of the dwarf black-bellied salamander, Desmognathus folkertsi. Herpetological Review 36(4):461.
2005	Phylogenetics of the black-bellied salamander, Desmognathus quadramaculatus at the American Society for Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Tampa, Florida
2005	Determinates of the specific dynamic action for anurans at the Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology in San Diego, California
2004	Determinates of the specific dynamic action for anurans at the Society of Ecology and Evolution in Atlanta, Georgia
2004	Determinates of the specific dynamic action for anurans at the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Norman, Oklahoma
2003-2005	Research: Physiology - Studied digestive physiology and morphology using light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy; responsible for conducting respirometry measurements in organisms to investigate the metabolic rate in response to feeding; measured nutrient uptake rates in the digestive system; used bomb calorimetry to assess the amount of energy found in various types of food.
2001	Morphological differences in Desmognathus quadramaculatus in West Virginia and non-West Virginia individuals
2001	Nontarget impacts on terrestrial and aquatic salamanders from insecticide applications and gypsy moth defoliation
2000	SEM analysis of tooth morphology in some species of the family Plethodontidae Distribution and morphological differences of Desmognathus in West Virginia

Memberships

	AAAS Science
	Ecological Society of America
	American Society for Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
	Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles
	Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology
	American Microscopical Society
	Sigma Xi

Awards and Honors

2007	Graham Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Biology from the University of Alabama
2006	American Natural History Museum
2006	Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant of the Year from the University of Alabama
2005	The Inge and Illouise Hill Research Fellowship from the University of Alabama
2003	Graduate Teaching Assistantship at the University of Alabama
2001	Faculty Development Committee
2001	The West Virginia Foundation
2000	NASA Space Grant
2000	West Virginia Department of Natural Resources and the Nongame Wildlife and Natural Heritage Program
1999	Graduate Assistantship at Marshall University
1994	Flatwoods Area Jaycees Scholarship
1994	American Association of University Women Scholarship