Yagil Osem

Department of natural resources

Institute of Plant Sciences

Agricultural Research Organization

Volcani Center

Bet-Dagan, Israel

Telephone: 972-3-9683727, Fax: 972-3-9669642, email:

University Education and Additional Training

1992 – 1995 / B.Sc. in Agricultural Sciences, Soil and Water Sciences,
Program studies: Environmental Quality Sciences,
at The Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
1995 – 2002 / Ph.D. in Agricultural sciences, at the Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (direct Ph.D course)
Title of thesis: “Community structure of annual plants in a semi-arid Shrub-land (Northern Negev): Changes and trends in the seed-bank and in the vegetation due to protection from grazing, in contrasting habitats differing in resources availability"
Supervision by: Prof. Jaime Kigel and Dr. Avi Perevolotsky
2002 – 2004 / Postdoctoral position at the department of Soil and Water Sciences Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With Prof. Yona Chen and Prof. Yitshac Hadar
Research subject: "Plant roots as a support medium for attached
growth in aerated reactors for waste water treatment: Effects on
microbial community structure"
2004 – 2005 / Postdoctoral position at the Institute of Plant Sciences and Genetics in Agriculture, Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. With Prof. Jaime Kigel
Research subject: "The role of dwarf shrubs in structuring annual plant communities in grazed semiarid shrublands"
2005 - 2006 / Postdoctoral position at the Department of Natural Resources, Institute of Plant Sciences, the Volcani Center, Agricultural Research Organization, Bet Dagan. With Dr. Nir Atzmon
Research subject: "Natural regeneration of coniferous forests in the Mediterranean zone of Israel"

Positions Held and Academic Status

10/2006 to date / Research Scientist at the ARO, the Volcani Center, Institute of Plant Sciences, the Department of Natural Resources

List of Publications

1. Osem, Y., Sternberg, M., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J. (1999). Species composition and abundance of annual plants in the seed-bank and in the vegetation in a semiarid region in the northern Negev as affrcted by seep grazing. Ecology and Environment 5: 180-189. (Hebrew, English abstract)

2. Osem, Y., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J., (2002). Grazing effect on diversity of annual plant communities in a semi-arid rangeland: Interactions with small-scale spatial and temporal variation in primary productivity. Journal of Ecology 90:936-946.

3. Osem, Y., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J., (2004). Site productivity and plant size, explain the response of annual species to grazing exclusion in a Mediterranean semi-arid rangeland.

Journal of Ecology 92:297-309.

4. Kigel, J., Osem, Y. and Perevolotsky, A. (2004). Similarity between seed-bank and ensuing vegetation is productivity dependent in a semi-arid Mediterranean annual plant community. In: Ecology, conservation and management of Mediterranean climate ecosystems. Ed. By M. Arianoutsou and V. Papanastasis.

5. Osem, Y., Atzmon, N. and Perevolotsky, A. (2005). Sustainable Forest Management – What is it? A review. Forest 7: 3-9. (Hebrew, English abstract).

6. Osem. Y., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J., (2006). Similarity between seed bank and vegetation in a semiarid annual plant community: The role of productivity and grazing. Journal of Vegetation Science 17: 29-36.

7. Osem, Y., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J., (2006). Size traits and site condition determined changes in seed bank structure caused by grazing exclusion in semiarid annual plant communities.

Ecography 29: 11-20.

8. Osem, Y., Chen, Y., Levinson, D. and Hadar, Y., (2007). The effects of plant roots on microbial community structure in aerated wastewater-treatment reactors.

Ecological Engineering 29: 133-142.

9. Osem, Y., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J., (2007). Interactive effects of grazing and shrubs on the annual plant community in semi-arid Mediterranean shrublands. Journal of Vegetation Science 18: 869-878.

10. Osem, Y., Ginsberg, P., Tauber, I. Atzmon, N. and Perevolotsky, A. (2008) Sustainable management of Mediterranean planted coniferous forests: an Israeli definition. Journal of Forestry 106: 38-46.

11. Osem, Y., Konsens, I., Perevolotsky, A. and Kigel, J. (2008) Soil seed bank and seedling emergence of Sarcopoterium spinosum as affected by grazing in a patchy semiarid shrubland. Israel journal of plant sciences 55: 35-43.

12. Osem, Y., Zangy, E., Bney-Moshe, E., Moshe, Y., Karni, N., Nisan, Y. (2009) The potential of transforming simple structured pine plantations into mixed Mediterranean forests through natural regeneration along a rainfall gradient. Forest Ecology and Management 259: 14-23.