H. Jane Brockmann is an emeritus professor at the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

known for her research on animal behavior, especially in the mating and nesting behavior of

horseshoe crab Horseshoe crabs are arthropods of the family Limulidae and the only surviving xiphosurans. Despite their name, they are not true crabs or even crustaceans; they are chelicerates, more closely related to arachnids like spiders, ticks, and scor ...

s. In 2008, she was elected a fellow of the

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is a United States–based international nonprofit with the stated mission of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsib ...

Early Education and career

Brockmann has a B.S. from

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university in Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts, United States, with additional facilities in Boston and Grafton, as well as Talloires, France. Tufts also has several Doctor of Physical Therapy p ...

(1967) and an M.S. from the

University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...

(1972). She earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin in 1976, and then took a position at the

as an assistant professor. In 1989, Brockmann was promoted to professor. In 2011, she became the first faculty Emerita of the biology department at the University of Florida, and there was a symposium given in her honor.

Research

Brockmann's research on animal behavior spans different groups in the animal kingdom. She has examined

kleptoparasitism Kleptoparasitism (originally spelt clepto-parasitism, meaning "parasitism by theft") is a form of feeding in which one animal deliberately takes food from another. The strategy is evolutionarily stable when stealing is less costly than direct f ...

in birds, the mating and nesting tactics of wasps including investigations into the mud-daubing wasp ''

Trypoxylon politum The organ pipe mud dauber (''Trypoxylon politum'') is a predatory wasp in the family Crabronidae. It is fairly large, ranging from 3.9–5.1 cm, and has been recorded to fly from May to September. Females and males are similar in colour, a s ...

'' and a digger wasp (''

Sphex ichneumoneus ''Sphex ichneumoneus'', known commonly as the great golden digger wasp or great golden sand digger is a wasp in the family Sphecidae. It is identified by the golden pubescence on its head and thorax, its reddish orange legs, and partly reddish or ...

''). In beetles, she has examined sexual selection in ''

Diaprepes abbreviatus ''Diaprepes abbreviatus'', also known as the diaprepes root weevil, citrus root weevil and sugarcane rootstock borer weevil, is a species of weevil that is native to the Caribbean, where in Spanish it is colloquially called chichí. It has become ...

'' which is important in Florida because it causes problems with citrus crops. Her research on behavior and population biology of horseshoe crabs is conducted at

Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge The Cedar Keys National Wildlife Refuge is part of the United States National Wildlife Refuge System, located near Cedar Key, at the western end of SR 24 Route 24, or Highway 24, can refer to: International * European route E24 Australia ...

, and includes addressing the question of why females select their nesting sites and the nesting tactics of males. She has also used genetics to define genetically distinct groups of horseshoe crabs in Florida and along the east coast of the United States.

Selected publications

* * *

Awards and honors

*Penny Bernstein Distinguished Teaching Award, inaugural recipient, Animal Behavior Society (1995) *Elected fellow, Animal Behavior Society (1995) *Distinguished Service Award, Animal Behavior Society (2000) *Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science (2008) *Myrle E. and Verle D. Nietzel Visiting Distinguished Faculty Program Award, University of Kentucky (2011) *Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award, Animal Behavior Society (2016) *Fellow, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2025)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brockmann, H. Jane Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science University of Wisconsin–Madison alumni Tufts University alumni University of Florida faculty Women marine biologists