Predicting ecological responses to climate change is one of the greatest challenges of the 21st century. We as biologists are struggling to predict the impacts of climate change on species, biodiversity and whole ecological systems. A growing question is whether, and to what extent, organisms may be able to adjust to climate change, and by what mechanisms such adjustment may be possible.

In my PhD I study the effect of global warming on the life-history of lizard species living in one of the most extreme deserts on the planet - the Judean Desert in the Dead Sea Region in eastern Israel. Using empirical data from the field, lab experiments with advanced technologies and individual based models (IBM), I will be able to create a biophysical model with which I will be able to predict whether lizard species in this extreme environment will be able to adapt and survive in the future as temperatures increase and extreme heat events become more frequent. 

 

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