Current research topics:
1. Halophila stipulacea's physiological and molecular responses to single
and combined stressors related to climate change and eutrophication
Using our seagrass-dedicated mesocosm, we aim to:
a) Understand the thermal tolerance and resilience potential of H. stipulacea exposed to increased water temperatures, with and without increased nutrient levels.
b) Develop early warning physiological and molecular stress indicators for detecting changes when still not detectable at a morphological and population level.
Funded by:
2. Evaluating seagrass ecosystem threats and functions in the Gulf of
Aqaba under current and future climate to improve regional marine
conservation
a. Mapping the distribution of shallow seagrasses:
b. Identifying drivers behind spatial-temporal seagrass dynamics
Omri Omesi
Funded by:
3. Understanding the interactions between epiphytic foraminifera and their tropical
seagrass host Halophila stipulacea:
In the south beach of Eilat, local H. stipulacea seagrass meadows are covered by epiphytic foraminifera. This is not the case in other sites in the Gulf. These observations have made us curious and motivated us to study the interactions between epiphytic foraminifera and their host, the tropical H. stipulacea.
Foraminifera are unicellular eukaryotes, that originated and evolved since the early Cambrian (540 million years ago). They are found globally and abundantly in marine ecosystem. Some foraminifera host symbiotic algae. All foraminifera produce a shell made of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Foraminifera can be planktonic (flow in seawater), benthic (found on the benthos, sediment), or epiphytic (on living surfaces).
Healthy seagrass = Healthy people
4. Project GENERATOR: planting seagrasses for enhancing blue carbon uptake and
sequestration along Israel’s Mediterranean shores
The understanding that nature’s ecosystem services are essential in mitigating the climate crisis has promoted the development of habitat restoration strategies to stop and even reverse ecosystem declines. "Rewilding" and “reforestation” are practices that focus on habitat rebuilding (a re-creation of nature) to restore the ecosystem services that are critical for alleviating the impacts of climate change.
Recently, extensive meadows of Cymodocea nodosa, a seagrass native to the Mediterranean Sea, were found off the shores of central Israel. This project aims to assess whether sustainable seagrass meadows that act as carbon sinks can be produced along the shores of the Israeli Mediterranean.
