Institute of Plant sciences,
ARO, Volcani Center
ISRAEL
Forests in Israel are a good model to study response to climate change since they are planted along a steep climatic gradient along a relatively small geographic area (ranging from 960 mm mean annual precipitation in northern forests to 270 mm in southern forests). These forests allow us to study responses of mature trees to various cues in various climate conditions in nature.
Our lab studies molecular, anatomical and physiological aspects of tree growth in Israeli forests.
The main questions we ask are:
- How do various tree species cope with drought?
- Do natural occurring hybrids have an advantage over their parents under drought conditions?
- Do different pine species respond differently to insect attack under different climate conditions?
Our goal is to identify parameters for use in selecting adaptive genotypes for future reforestation under observed and projected climate change. In order to achieve this goal, we are also developing in vitro vegetative propagation protocols for relevant tree species.