Guy Pe’er, PhD
Current address:
Department of
Ecological Modelling
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ
Permoserstr. 15, Leipzig, Germany
Phone: +49-341-2352033
Fax:
+49-341-2353500
E-mail: guy.peer@ufz.de
Date of birth: 3.6.75
Place of birth: Haifa,
Israel.
Research approach
Academic history and Projects
Publications
Personal interests
As a child growing up
in Haifa, one
learns to value nature and mountains. Thus, it is of no surprise that I
spent
most of my childhood outside - looking for insects and plants, or
hiking all
around the country. As a teenager, I tried to learn as much as possible
about
nature, but also about history. Later on I learned that these two can
never be
separated…
In 1987 I started
collecting
butterflies. As my interest in butterflies continued to grow, my
tendency to collect
them diminished. At some point I realized that butterflies can serve as
an
excellent group for addressing a great variety of ecological issues.
Since
then, butterflies serve as a major focal group in my research.
In 1989 there were
three forest fires
on Mt. Carmel. These fires ignited not only the trees, but also my own
will to
contribute to nature conservation. So I spent 12 months studying the
recovery
process of plants after fire. I spent 15 more months studying the
behavior and
ecology of the re-introduced Persian Fellow-deer at “Hai-Bar
Carmel”. In parallel, I tried to ‘investigate’ the
spatio-temporal dynamics of a common butterfly species, Lampides
boeticus.
During this period I learned about the importance of disturbances for
biodiversity; about local and regional extinctions due to human
activities; and
about the factors that determine the success and failure of
reintroductions
– both natural ones (through dispersal) and man-made. By that time, at
the age of 18, I knew that I would become an ecologist…
My interest in nature
conservation
guides me throughout my personal and academic activities. In my work, I
try to
obtain better understanding of the factors that determine population
dynamics
and biodiversity patterns in fragmented and human-dominated landscapes.
I then
develop tools for predicting those patterns, with the aim to develop
scientific-based tools for conservation. Lastly, I try to use this
knowledge
for promoting nature conservation in Israel and abroad.
Research
approach
In
my research I try to link different ecological levels:
animal behavior, population (and metapopulation) dynamics, community
structures
and biodiversity patterns. I continuously combine simulation models
with field
experiments, for a better understanding of nature as well as for
deriving
practical tools for conservation. While butterflies are a major study
organism,
I studied also mammalian predators (Eurasian Lynx) and plants (Acacia
trees). Currently I am focusing on birds of the Atlantic forest.
Academic
history and research
projects
During
my B.Sc. at the Hebrew
University in Jerusalem
(1996-1998) I performed a research project on the “Effect of
aquifer depletion on mortality of Acacia trees in the Arava
valley,
Israel – a computerized analysis of aerial photographs”
(supervisor: Prof.
Ronen Kadmon).
During my direct
studies for a Ph.D.
(1999-2003) at the Ben-Gurion University I studied “the spatial and
behavioral
determinants of butterfly movement patterns in topographically complex
landscapes” (available
online, UFZ-Bericht Nr. 17/2004). Here, I investigated the movement
rules
of butterflies while ascending to hilltops for the purpose of mating (a
process
known as “hilltopping”). I then used these rules for developing an
Individual-Based simulation model of this behavior, aiming to predict
movement
patterns and connectivity in complex landscapes. I then validated the
model by
further fieldwork.
My PhD was supervised
by Prof.
David
Saltz (Ben-Gurion University) and Prof. Uzi Motro
(Hebrew
University). Part of my PhD was performed at the Dept. of Ecological Modelling,
UFZ-Centre
for Environmental Research in Leipzig - under the supervision of Dr.
Karin Frank and in
collaboration with Drs. Hans-Hermann
Thulke and Simone
Heinz.
In 2004 I served as a visiting researcher at the dept. of Ecological Modelling, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, Leipzig (Germany). Here I was engaged with three projects:
1.
The ecology of the
endangered butterfly Tomares
nesimachus – an endangered species in Israel. In a two-year
field-study (2004-2005), I investigated the causes for the butterfly’s
scarcity, including habitat loss, fragmentation, landscape management
and the
functioning of its ecological system (in terms of pollination). Work
was
conducted in collaboration with Prof.
Josef Settele (Dept. of Community Ecology, UFZ).
2.
Developing a protocol
for modelling animal dispersal through
landscapes with gradual changes. Here, I collaborated with Dr.
Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
in
the further development of an existing model (developed by herself) for
the dispersal of Eurasian Lynx in Germany.
3.
The relevance of
metapopulation theory for plants with seed
dormancy. Here I developed a model that enables seeking for ‘optimal
strategies’ in terms of germinating or remaining dormant, under a
variety of climatic scenarios and evolutionary constraints. Various
impacts of
climate
change can then be incorporated into the model.
In 2005-2006 I
performed a post-doctorate research at the Biodiversity Research Group. Here I was
engaged with two main projects:
1.
Community changes and
biodiversity patterns along the
altitudinal gradients in the Hermon mountain (ongoing project, in
collaboration
with Dr. Salit Kark and M.Sc student Oded Levanoni).
2.
Linking movement
behaviour with biodiversity patterns, focusing on butterflies in
agricultural landscapes along the
climatic gradient of Israel (2005-2006), in collaboration with Dr.
Salit
Kark and Mr. Dubi Benyamini. Funded by Keren Yad-Hanadiv (Nekudat
Chen), the
project aimed at inspecting changes in species diversity over two
scales. In the local
scale, we
looked at changes in animal behavior and diversity along the
distance
from natural areas, through field-edges and into the fields. In the
regional scale, we inspected
how patterns change across the climatic gradient of Israel.
Pe’er, G., D. Saltz,
H.–H. Thulke, and U. Motro (2004). Response to topography in a
hilltopping butterfly and implications for modelling non-random
dispersal Animal
Behaviour, 68: 825-839.
Pe’er, G., D. Saltz,
and K.,
Frank (2005). Virtual Corridors for conservation management. Conservation
Biology, in press.
Pe’er, G., S. K. Heinz,
and K.
Frank. (2006) Connectivity in heterogeneous landscapes: analyzing the
effect of
topography. Landscape Ecology 21: 47-61.
Grimm,
V., U. Berger, F. Bastiansen, S. Eliassen, V. Ginot, J.
Giske, J. Goss-Custard, T. Grand, S. Heinz, G. Huse, A. Huth, J. U.
Jepsen, C. Jørgensen, W. M. Mooij, B. Müller, G. Pe’er,
C. Piou, S. F. Railsback, A. M.
Robbins, M. M. Robbins, E. Rossmanith, N. Rüger, E. Strand, S.
Souissi, R. Stillmann, R. Vabø, U. Visser, and D. L. DeAngelis
(2006). A standard protocol of
describing individual-based and agent-based models. Ecological Modelling, 198: 115-126.
Russel,
P., W.J. Tennent, J. Pateman, Z.S. Varga, D. Benyamini, G.
Pe'er, Z. Balint and M. Gascoigne-Pees (In Press) Further
investigations into Melitaea telona Fruhstorfer
1908 (= ogygia Fruhstorfer,
1908; = emipunica Verity,
1919) with observations on biology and distribution (Lepidoptera:
Nymphalidae). Entomologist's Gazette,
in press.
Pe’er, G., H.-H.
Thulke, K.
Frank, C. Wissel and D. Saltz (submitted). Emergent optimality: simple
rules for
animal
movements in complex landscapes. Under revision to: The American
Naturalist.
Pe’er, G. and Kramer-Schadt, S. (submitted) Incorporating animals' preceptual ranges into connectivity models. Submitted to: Ecological Modelling.
Pe'er, G. and J.
Settele
(Submitted) The rare butterfly Tomares nesimachus (Lycaenidae) as a
bioindicator for pollination services and ecosystem functioning in the
North of Israel. Submitted to Israel Journal
of Ecology and Evolution.
Pe'er, G. and D. Benyamini (Submitted) A new template for publishing conservation case studies, exemplified through the campaign for butterfly protection in Israel. Submitted to Israel Journal of Ecology and Evolution.
Reports:
Tzoar, A., U. Ramon, M.
Ron, A.
Dolev, I. Tzurim, N. Sapir, D. Alon, D. Hawlena, G. Pe’er, N. Levin,
and
A. Heler (2002). Lahav survey: integration of botanical,
zoological, and
socio-historic data for the assessment of landscape sensitivity to
afforestation
and land-use changes. Survey and Evaluation Unit of the Society for
Protection of Nature in Israel, Jerusalem (in Hebrew).
Pe’er, G. and U. N.
Safriel
(2000). Impact, Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change in
Israel.
Sde Boqer Campus of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sde Boqer (available
online).
Links to some
conservation-related articles
on
butterflies (in Hebrew):
Personal
interests and activities
· Studying
butterflies in Israel since 1987, and a member of the Israeli
Lepidopterists’ Society since 1990. Lecturing and writing in this
field. Present focus on promoting for the conservation of butterflies
in
Israel. In parallel I act for the systematic acquisition and
computerization of
observation-data.
· Organizing
and participating in environmental activities, including the promotion
of
environmental issues among politicians, decision-makers, and the public.
· Engaged
with
various educational activities within the community level.
· Photography
–
focusing on humans, nature, landscape and the interactions between the
three.
· Hiking
and
traveling in Israel and around the world. In my travels, I try to
understand
the link between human history, culture, and the fates of nature.
· Dancing
– Argentinean Tango, “Contact-improvisation”, ballroom dances
and dance-theatre. Was a member of the Jerusalem Folklore Ensemble for
two
years, 1998-1999.
