Dr. Jane Horlings

Hi! I have taught at Saddleback College since 1990. My collegiate background includes a major in Wildlife Management at the University of Nebraska, master’s work on the reproductive ecology of a wren, followed by a Ph.D. in 1985 from the University of California-Davis in Ecology. My graduate work focused on the growth of algae in Lake Tahoe as a function of various physical parameters, including nutrient input resulting from development within the basin, and my research involved sampling algae by SCUBA, primarily during winter and spring.

At Saddleback College, I have taught Introduction to Biology, Human Anatomy, Animal Diversity and Ecology, and Plant Diversity and Genetics. Currently, I teach Introduction to Biology (Biology 20), Anatomy (Biology 11), and Modern Theories of Evolution (Biology 40). My sections of Biology 20 are taught as a hybrid course, with the lectures online. Biology 40 is an entirely online class, and I have enjoyed the shift in half of my teaching load to online instruction.

My current outside interests include gardening, cooking, and travel. During my 2005 sabbatical, my husband and I spent a month in Australia, and we drove the Great Ocean Road, saw aboriginal art at Jabiru, dove on the Great Barrier Reef, and visited the Daintree Rainforest. In 2006, we visited areas as varied as Woodstock Vermont, Cadequez Spain, Avignon France, and I dove on the island of Saba in the Caribbean.  Other trips have included Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, and New Zealand, all amazing places to visit.

For relaxation close to home, I cultivate cactus and succulents in an extensive garden at my home, and love picking up rocks at the beach.

The picture of me above was taken a few years ago in northern Italy, in Bolsa, at a small paleontological museum.  The scientist with me spoke no English, I speak no Italian, yet we conversed a bit by pointing and using bits and pieces of Greek and Latin!

Most unusual fact about me? There is a beetle named after me found only in Costa Rica!  A few years ago, we went to Costa Rica and saw an amazing amount of biological diversity, although I can't say I saw "my" beetle.  However, we saw so much, from the lowland rain forest to the highland cloud forest.  Visiting Costa Rica is like an amazing Biology field trip; we saw green and black poison arrow frogs, toucans, leaf-cutter ants, and so much more!  This fall, I visited Costa Rica for the second time, and got to see baby turtles hatching on the beach, and making their way to the ocean!