Merav Ben-David
Zoology & Physiology
Professor
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.
