Zoology and Physiology

College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources

Merav Ben-David

Professor

bendavid@uwyo.edu • (307) 509-0295 • Bio Sciences 406

Education

• PhD, May 1996. Department of Biology and Wildlife, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, USA
• MS, Aug. 1988. Department of Zoology - Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel-Aviv University, Israel, Cum Laude
• BS, Aug. 1984. Biology - Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel - Aviv University, Israel

Research Interests
My main interest revolves around the interaction between animal behavioral ecology, population dynamics, and ecosystem function. I mainly study carnivores and use the transport of nutrient from sea to land as a model system. To study those interactions, I use isotopic and genetic tracers. For example, I investigate the effects of trade-off between nutritional requirements and risk of infanticide on consumption of salmon by female brown bears, and how female decisions made based on this trade-off influence the transfer of salmon-derived nutrients to terrestrial vegetation.