New Record of Dendronephthya sp. from the Eastern Mediterranean
Dendronephthya hemprichi New coralinvasive species in the mediterranean sea
Dendronephthya hemprichi New coral invasive species in the mediterranean sea
Published! The calcifying interface in a stony coral primary polyp: An interplay between seawater and an extracellular calcifying space
Coral reefs are the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on the globe. In addition to breathtaking beauty, they have significant evolutionary and financial importance. Unfortunately, today, coral reefs face significant threats due to global climate change and other stressors of anthropogenic origin. Stony coral skeletons construct the structural foundation of the coral reef ecosystem. The biomineralization process (Mineral production by a live organism), by which stony coral build their skeleton, is…
A new position and an exciting PhD opportunity has just opened!
Antibiotic resistance of bacterial pathogens in marine animals of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea: molecular characterization, antibiotic resistance, and virulent genes’ identification Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global issue that public health is facing nowadays, and its propagation has occurred due to the misuse of antimicrobial medicines for both humans and livestock. This has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant zoonotic pathogens through the acquisition of antibiotic- resistance genes (ARGs) that…
Shark tagging season #6
The Apex Predator Lab begins it's 6th tagging season! This year, we will investigate the reproductive status of female sharks at the aggregation hotspot. We are ready to employ new methods and technologies, including ultrasound probes, shark-borne cameras and new satellite transmitters and analyse the new types of data using advanced laboratory techniques. Stay tuned for updates!
The rocky reef data base
The rocky reef habitat of the Israeli coastline is rich, diverse, and abundant in marine resources. It functions as a stable habitat for algae, invertebrates, and fish. We have been conducting Long Term Ecological Research (LTER) on these reefs since 2015. The surveys are conducted from Achziv to Ashkelon and at a depth range from 10 to 45 m. The first thing that we noticed was a greater variability with depth. In the shallow water, the turf algae are dominating the reefs (Sdot Yam 10 m, 99%) and as you go deeper, the algae assemblages (Sdot Yam 45 m, 86%) become more diverse and there are more invertebrates.
Shark week!
Last week, the Top Predator Group hosted two special guests: Dr Neil Hammerschlag – Research Associate Professor and Director of the Shark Research and Conservation Program (SRC) at the University of Miami, and Beth Bowers – a PhD student and Lab Supervisor at the Elasmobranch Research Laboratory of Florida Atlantic University. The visit provided a great opportunity to present our different studies and share our current hypotheses regarding the shark aggregation phenomenon with some of the foremost researchers in the field.
