Prof. Leon Blaustein
Professor of Ecology
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Head, Community Ecology Lab
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Director, Kadas Green Roofs Ecology Research Centre
Phone: +972-4-8240736
Research Interests
I am interested in conceptual problems in ecology at the behavioral, population, and community levels and applied problems including epidemiology, biological control and conservation. Much of my recent research centers around temporary pools as a model for addressing conceptual ecological questions and for addressing questions dealing with such applied problems as mosquito population regulation, amphibian conservation and biodiversity conservation. My colleagues and I take several approaches, including a reductionist one, to assess how various factors affect temporary pool community structure – both abiotic and biotic factors. Currently, problems that my lab members and I are concentrating on are:
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oviposition habitat selection in response to risk of predation and the consequences of such behavior on population and community dynamics at various scales.
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population ecology, conservation genetics and life history strategies of amphibians, particularly the fire salamander, Salamandra infraimmaculata.
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determinants of, and conservation of, biodiversity in temporary pools - both freshwater and coastal rock pools.
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roles of host behavior and anthropogenic landscape alterations on ecology of infectious diseases.
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ecology and conservation of sharks.
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green roof ecology.
