Institute of Evolution
The Institute of Evolution (IoE)
Established in the University of Haifa at 1977 by prof. Eviatar Nevo, includes 12 faculty members (members of the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology) and more than 20 affiliated scientists with PhD degrees.
The Institute of Evolution (IOE) at the University of Haifa is unique in its broad and interdisciplinary research with particular expertise in population and evolutionary genetics, developmental evolution, behavioral evolution, bioinformatics and ecology. The IOE is situated on Mount Carmel at the heart of the Carmel national park, next to one of most beautiful cities around the Mediterranean, we are in prefect location to study biodiversity and evolution. We are abundant with in house and outdoor facilities providing for modern, cutting edge science. Together with the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology based in our campus, we are a center of excellence in the field of ecology and evolution in the north of Israel.
Institute News
Congratulations to Aya Marck (supervisors Nir Sapir and Yizhar Lavner from Tel Hai College) for winning the best PhD student talk award at the annual conference of the Zoological Society of Israel that was held on 29.12.2024! Aya's talk was on "Detection and classification of nocturnal flight calls for bioacoustic monitoring of bird migration in Southern Israel"
בנק הגנים .12023_1_ENGsubs (1).mp4Spalax Carmeli comming out of the tunnel
Spalax Carmeli comming out of the tunnel.mp4Credit: Anastasia Baturina
Catсhing Blind Mole Rats by Dr. Imad Shams in the Upper Galilee
Imad Video.mp4Credit: Dr. Grace Smarsh
Scientific Seminars
The presented lectures deal mainly with the hot topics in evolutionary biology, molecular genetics, genomics, and ecology. The seminars are delivered by expert lecturers and distinguished visitors in a relaxed environment.
At this point, the seminars will be held on Mondays at 12:00 pm
Next seminar:
06.01.2025, Safdie Auditorium, Multi-purpose building
Prof. Itamar Giladi ,
Ben-Gurion University (Sede Boqer Campus)
Hierarchical Levels of Intra-specific Variation in Dispersal Traits: Structure, Causes, and Consequences
Seed dispersal is an important life history transition affecting ecological, genetic and evolutionary processes across various ecological and organizational levels. Similarly, dispersal-linked traits are shaped by processes operating at various scales and organizational levels from within individuals to the community level. However, studies of intra-specific variation in dispersal traits in general, and of continuous dispersal traits in particular, often overlook the hierarchical structure of this variation. In this talk, I will explore intra-specific variation in dispersal traits in several wind-dispersed species across three scales: among populations, among individuals within populations, and within individual plants. I will show how addressing these hierarchies enhances our understanding of plant dispersal strategies in response to environmental gradients such as climate and fragmentation. Additionally, I will discuss how aligning theoretical predictions with the appropriate levels of dispersal variation can provide deeper insights into the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of plant dispersal mechanisms.