Meet the Team

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Shahar studies the relationships between climate change and wild pollinators, particularly bees. This research looks at the direct and indirect effects of heat stress and droughts on several aspects, including survival, behavior and plant-pollinator relations. By combining field work, experimental work and modeling, she plans to unravel the complex interactions within these ecosystems.

Yehonatan studies pollination ecology in avocado, combining his interests in agriculture and ecology to benefit both crop production and natural pollinators. European honeybees, the primary managed pollinator globally, often fail to provide sufficient pollination services for avocado due to the crop’s low attractiveness to bees and its high pollination requirements. Yehonatan's research explores how diversifying avocado’s pollinators can enhance pollination services and improve productivity. This approach requires a deep understanding of the habitat needs of various wild pollinators and effective orchard management strategies. His study focuses on: Understanding the conditions in avocado orchards and their semi-natural surroundings. Examining pollinator communities in avocado orchards and how they are influenced by spatio-temporal dynamics within and around the orchard. Identifying key potential natural pollinators and comparing their pollination performance. Yehonatan began his research as part of the Amirim program during his bachelor’s degree and is now completing his master’s thesis.