Ofir Katz Ph.D
Research Area:
Integrative and Desert Ecology Laboratory
ofir@adssc.org
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ResearchGate
Fields of interest
I study morphological and anatomical traits that contribute to plant adaptation to extreme environments, and especially the accumulation of silicon and other inorganic materials in plants. I am especially interested in the environmental factors that drive the magnitude and distribution of these traits and how these traits affect plant community and ecosystem properties and functioning. Other parts of my work deal with the evolutionary history of these traits as part of plant and ecosystem evolutionary history, and with the response of desert ecosystems to natural and human-made disturbances.
Group members
- Tovale Solomon – Research associate, Lab manager
- Yaron Nitka-Nakash – Field technician
- Irene Blecher – Taxonomist
- Jinyu Ouyang – PhD Student (Placed in Germany)
Current Projects
- Biogeography of silicon contents in the flora of Israel and its relation to ecosystem functioning
Funding: Israel Science Foundation
CI: Marcelo Sternberg, TAU - Silicon’s effects on Norther Negev plants’ responses to drought and grasshopper grazing
Funding: German Research Foundation
Co-PI: Joerg Schaller, ZALF (Germany) - Ecological monitoring in the Ze’eilm alluvial fan
Funding: Dead Sea Works
Coming soon
Silicon in plants and ecosystems, a new book form Oxford University Press.
Publications: