University Units - Academic Staff Members

Wildlife management and conservation biology; specifically population dynamics and spatial ecology; ungulate ecology; ecology of small populations; and disease dynamics.

Research Projects:

(a) Reintroductions of Persian fallow deer, Arabian oryx and roe deer;
(b) Responses of ungulates to human encroachment; (d) Dynamics of rabies;
(e) Population responses of Mountain gazelles to harvesting.

Research Projects for M.Sc.

Dynamics o rare and isolated populations.
Human impacts on desert wildlife.
Dynamics of meta populations in deserts.

Courses taught:

Fine Filter Conservation Ecology
Coarse Filter Conservation Biology
Self-Study in Ecology.

Recent Publications (last 5 years):

Hawlena, H, B. R. Krasnov, Z. Abramsky, I. S. Khkhlova, D. Saltz, M. Kam, A. Tamir, and A. A. Degen. 2006. Flea infestation and energy requirements of rodent hosts: are there general rules? Functional Ecology 20:1028-1036.
Ruiz R.N., D. Ward & D. Saltz 2006. Population differentiation and the effects of herbivory and sand compaction on the subterranean growth of a desert lily J. of Heredity, 97:409-16.
Ruiz R.N., D. Saltz & D. Ward. 2006. The effects of herbivory and resource variability on the production of a second inflorescence by the desert lily, Pancratium sickenbergeri Plant Ecology 186:47-56.
Saltz, D. G. C. White, and D. Rubenstein. 2006. Does increased variance from global change threaten wildlife? Predicting the future dynamics of Asiatic wild ass under environmental stochasticity. Conservation Biology 20:1403-1409.
Wiegand, K., D. Saltz, and D. Ward. 2006. A patch dynamics approach to savanna dynamics and woody plant encroachment – insights from an arid savanna. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 7: 229 - 242.
Ruiz, R.N., D. Ward & D. Saltz. 2006. Signal selection in a desert lily, Pancratium sickenbergeri (Amaryllidaceae) . Evolutionary Ecology Research 8:1-14.
Guter, A., A. Dolev, D. Saltz, and N. Kronefeld-Schor. 2005. Otter Lutra lutra road mortality in Israel. Israel J. of Zoology 51:199-207
Manor, R. and D. Saltz. 2005. Human impacts on gazelle habitat use patterns and flight distance in a heavily disturbed area in Israel. Journal of Wildlife Management 69:1683-1690 .
Reinchmann, A. and D. Saltz. 2005. The Golan wolves: the behavioral ecology and dynamics of an endangered pest. Israel J. of Zoology 51(2): 46pp.
Pe’er, G., D. Saltz,, and K. Frank. 2005. Virtual corridors: Concept definition and application in conservation. Conservation Biology 19:1997-2003.
Bar-David, S., D. Saltz, and T. Dayan. 2005. Predicting the spatial dynamics of reintroduced populations – The Persian fallow deer. Ecological Applications. 15:1833-1846
Wiegand, K, D. Saltz and D. Ward. 2005. Multi-scale patterns and bush encroachment in an arid savanna with a single soil layer. Journal of Vegetation Science 16:311-320.
Bar-David, S., D. Saltz. T. Dayan, A. Perelberg, and A. Dolev. 2005. Demographic models and reality in reintroductions: the Persian fallow deer in Israel Conservation Biology 19:131-138.
Saltz, D., D. Ward, I. Kapofi, and J. Karamata. 2004. Population estimation and harvesting potential for game in arid Namibia. South African Journal of Wildlife Research 34:153-161.
Pe’er, G., D. Saltz, H. Thulke, and U.Motro. 2004. Response mechanisms to topography in the hilltopping butterfly Melitaea trivia, and implications for modeling non-random dispersal. Animal Behavior 64:825-839.
Manor, R. and D. Saltz. 2004. The impact of feral dogs on fawn:female ratio of mountain gazelles in the southern coastal plain of Israel. Biological Conservation 119:231-236.
Ward, D. D. Saltz, and B. T. Ngairorue. 2004. Temporal and spatial variation in rainfall and grass production and its effects on the management strategies of ranchers in Arid Namibia. Journal of Range Management. 57:130-140.
Manor, R. and D. Saltz. 2003. Impact of human nuisance disturbance on vigilance and group size of a social ungulate. Ecological Applications 13:1830-1834.
Saltz, D., and B. P. Kotler. 2003. Maternal age is a predominant determinant of progeny sex ratio in ungulates: A reply to Hewison et al. Oikos 101:646-649.
Perelberg, A. D. Saltz, S. Bar-David, A. Dolev, and Y. Yom-Tov. 2003. Seasonal and circadian changes in the home ranges of reintroduced Persian fallow deer. Journal of Wildlife Management 67:485-492.
Dolev, A., D. Saltz, S. Bar-David, and Y. Yom-Tov. 2002. The impact of repeated releases on the space-use patterns of reintroduced Persian fallow deer (Dama dama mesopotamica) in Israel. Journal of Wildlife Management. 66:737-746.
Ruiz R.N., D. Ward & D. Saltz. 2002 Responses of Pancratium sickenbergeri to simulated bulb herbivory: Combining defense and tolerance strategies. Journal of Ecology 90:472-480.
Saltz, D. 2002. The dynamics of equid populations. Pp 118-123 in P. Moehlman (ed.) Zebra, asses, and horses: An action plan for the conservation of wild equids. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
Bohrer, G., S. Shem-Tov, E. Summer, K. Or, and D. Saltz. 2002. The effectiveness of various rabies spatial vaccination patterns in a simulated host population with clumped distribution. Ecological Modelling. 152:205-211.
Ruiz R.N., D. Ward & D. Saltz. 2002. Crystals of calcium oxalate in leaves: constitutive or induced defense? Functional Ecology. 16:99-107.

Update Date: 11/06/2007