פרופ' מרסלו שטרנברג

פרופ' מרסלו שטרנברג

סגל אקדמי בכיר בביה"ס למדעי הצמח ואבטחת מזון
ניווט מהיר:
ביה"ס למדעי הצמח ואבטחת מזון סגל אקדמי בכיר

CV

Education

Period Degree Institute Faculty/Department
1982-1988 B.Sc.-M.Sc. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina Biology
1989-1994 Ph.D. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ecology

 

Employment

Period Rank/Function School/Department Institute
2020-present Full Professor School of Plant Sciences & Food Security Tel Aviv University
2010-2020 Associate Professor School of Plant Sciences & Food Security Tel Aviv University
2005-2010 Senior Lecturer ​School of Plant Sciences & Food Security Tel Aviv University
2001-2005 Lecturer School of Plant Sciences & Food Security Tel Aviv University
2000-2001 Lecturer Faculty of Life Sciences Bar-Ilan University

Research Interests

 

Sternberg’s Plant Ecology Lab addresses a diversity of fundamental questions in plant ecology. We take a broad approach to experimental research, with interest in plant community ecology, grazing ecology, functional ecology, invasion ecology, conservation ecology, and global climate change ecology.
 

We generally use experimental approaches in both natural communities and agro-ecosystems to test questions at the levels of the population, community, and ecosystem. We combine strong field-work, controlled greenhouse environments, and remote sensing tools.
 

Prof. Sternberg was nominated in 2021 as Chang Jiang Chair Professor at Ningxia University in China. This is the highest academic award given by the Chinese government to scientists. Prof. Sternberg is leading the Carbon Neutral Initiative at Tel Aviv University, which aims to reduce the university's ecological footprint. 
 

Prof. Sternberg is leading the Carbon Neutral Initiative at Tel Aviv University, which aims to reduce the university's ecological footprint, and served as the Director of the Institute of Cereal Crops Research from 2023 to 2025. Prof. Sternberg is from October 2026 the new Director of the Yehuda Naftali Botanical Garden https://en-lifesci.tau.ac.il/botanical_gardens

 

List of key current research projects:

  1. Our lab is running since 2001, one of the world's oldest climate change experiments using rainfall manipulations. At the Matta Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) station in the Judean Hills, we study the effects of climate change on ecosystem structure and function when exposed to extreme drought and changes in rainfall patterns.
  2. The Plant Ecology lab is involved in a long-term cattle range management experiment in a Mediterranean grassland (Karei Deshe LTER) aiming to study the effects of grazing on ecosystem function and services.
  3. Our lab is currently involved in a remote sensing project studying the capabilities of the VENµS satellite, as a tool for quantifying the effects of climate change on forage quantity and quality in Israeli rangelands.
  4. An additional study focus on the effects of invasive plant species on ecosystem function and structure in coastal dunes of Israel. The goal of this study is to provide accurate estimate on water cost of invasion and provide remote sensing based tool for effective management of invasive species for environmental monitoring, conservation and natural resource management.  
  5. Sternberg’s lab is engaged in a research project studying the use of natural herbaceous vegetation as cover crops in vineyards, as a tool for soil erosion prevention while strengthening the soil structure and sustainability of the agricultural operation.       
  6. Our lab is also studying the ecology of wild populations of Lupinus pilosus as a potential novel legume crop. This species grows under a wide range of environmental conditions and produce seeds rich in proteins. Nevertheless, this plant is protected by high levels of secondary compounds. Our lab is searching for wild populations that may be suitable for domestication.
  7. The Plant Ecology lab is investigating the ecology of wild populations of Lupinus palaestinus, an endemic species growing only in Israel and under high risks of world extinction. The natural habitat of this species if confronting major fragmentation leading to the disappearance of natural populations and strong contraction of the remaining ones. Our lab is studying ex-situ conservation to conserve its gene pool and search for ways of preventing the extinction of this unique species.

Recent Publications

See full list here


Last five years only:

 

Zhang, A., Chen, S., Liu, R., Zhang, M., An, L., Xiao, S., Sternberg, M. and Penuelas, J. (2026), Poisonous plants weaken plant–microbe–fauna trait networks across temperature and precipitation gradients. New Phytol, 252: 1445-1456. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71564

 

Cheng, J., Liu, R., Wang, P., Zhao, W., Sternberg, M. (2026). Asynchronous recovery of grassland ecosystem health in northern China: A three-dimensional assessment of structure, function, and environmental quality. Ecological Indicators 192, 115704    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2026.115704

 

Sternberg, M., Adar, S., Perry, D., Beliavskii, D., Kigel, J. (2026) Rainfall memory and spring 
atmospheric demand predict herbaceous biomass production in Mediterranean ecosystems. Journal of Ecology, 114, e70454. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70454

 

Liu, R., Guo, Z., Peñuelas, J., Sternberg, M. (2026) Shrub species identity modulatesמשפט plant–arthropod diversity coupling across a dryland aridity gradient. Journal of Ecology 114, e70453. 
https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.70453


|Zou, X., Song, Z., van der Plas, A.L.D, Wang, S, Collins, S. C., Smith, M.D., Sternberg, M. et al. (2026) Aridity regulates scale-dependent effects of multiple resource additions on productivity stability in Eurasian grasslands. Nature Communications https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-78043-5 

 

Cheng, J., Liu, R., Wang, P., Zhao, W., Sternberg, M. (2026) Supply-demand coordination of soil conservation services and its driving mechanism in grassland ecosystem of northern China. Journal of Environmental Management 419, 131083   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2026.131083

 

Sternberg, M. Greenberg, S., Rein, F. O., Egozi, R., Cohen, O. (2026) Native Perennial Vegetation Buffer Strips Improve Structural Indicators of Riparian Protection in Mediterranean Agroecosystems. Land Degradation & Development, 1–14

doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.70868

 

Liu, R., Guo, Z., Peñuelas, J. Sternberg, M. (2026). Interannual climatic variability outweighs microhabitat effects on ground-active arthropod diversity in a semi-arid sandy ecosystem. Geoderma 468: 117794  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117794

 

Lokshin, A., Palchan, D., Sternberg, M., Goren, T., Nakhavali, M.A., Gross, A. (2026). Atmospheric Dust is a Global Nutrient Source for Plants via Foliar Uptake. New Phytologist. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.71112.

 

Shelef, O., Namdar, D., Zemach, H., Ben-Simchon, E., Mulder, P., Sternberg, M., et al. (2026). Soil-origin effects on wild lupin seed traits and their potential for crop development. Circular Agricultural Systems 6: e017 doi: 10.48130/cas-0026-0015 

 

Sternberg, M. (2026). A new lens on drought impacts: unlocking continental contrasts in grassland sensitivity. Sci China Life Sci 69, 698–699. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11427-025-3048-2 

 

Adar, S., Sternberg, M. (2026) Evaluating microclimatic alterations under rainout shelters: Intended and unintended effects of drought manipulations.  Ecological Applications 36, e70172

https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.70172

 

Guo, Z., Liu, R., Sternberg, M., Zhao, W. (2026) Slope aspect modulates elevational patterns of ground–dwelling arthropod alpha diversity, but not beta diversity. Applied Soil Ecology 219, 106786 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2026.106786

 

Almagro, M., Rey, A., Inclan, R.M., Barba, J., Vargas, R., Carrara, A., Gruenzweig, J. M., Sternberg, M. et al. (2025) Vegetation type and climate determine temperature thresholds of soil respiration across drylands. Soil Biology & Biochemestry 211: 109984 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2025.109984

 

Ohlert, T., Smith. M.D., Collins, S.L., Knapp, A.K.,  Dukes, J.S., Sala, O., Sternberg, M. et al. (2025) Drought intensity and duration interact to magnify losses in primary productivity. Science 390 (6770), 284-289 - DOI: 10.1126/science.ads8144

 

Qiao, C., Ma, L., Du, L., Wu,H.,  Wang, Y., Shi, G., Xue, B., Zhang, X., Bao, G., Gu, B., Sternberg, M. (2025) Planted shrubs modify land–atmosphere energy fluxes through biophysical mechanisms in a desert steppe ecosystem. Catena 261 109515 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2025.109515

 

Zhou, L., Liu, R., Sternberg, M., An, H., Sun, J., Zeng, F. (2025) Ant community composition defines nest mound dynamics across successional stages in desert restoration. European Journal of Soil Biology 125: 103731 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejsobi.2025.103731

 

Kozhoridze, G., Ben-Dor, E., Moudry, V.,  Sternberg, M. (2025) Remote sensing assessment of invasive plant species impacts on microclimate and water stress in mediterranean coastal ecosystems. Agricultural and Forestry Meteorology 371: 110606 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2025.110606

 

Bigio, L., Navon, Y., Konsens, I., Lebrija-Trejos, E., Kigel, J., Sternberg, M., Grünzweig. J.M. (2025) Plant production decreases more than litter decomposition with rising aridity in drylands. Functional Ecology 39:2342–2353. 
DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.70094
 

Marzialetti, F., Grosso, G., Acosta, A.M.T.,Malavasi, M., Pinna, L.C., Sternberg, M.,  Gupta, S. K., Brundu, G. Carranza, M. L. (2025) Dunes under attack: untangling the effects of landscape changes on Iceplant invasion (Carpobrotus spp., Aizoaceae) in Mediterranean coasts. NeoBiota 98: 269–295 DOI: 10.3897/neobiota.98.132805

 

Sun, J., Liu, R., Sternberg, M., Yang, Z., Tian, Y. (2025) Effects of shrub microhabitats on taxonomic and functional diversity of soil microarthropods under grazing regimes in desertified regions. Applied Soil Ecology 206: 105920

 

Katz, O.,  Moura, RF,  Gruntman, M., Sternberg, M. (2025) The plant ionome as a functional trait: Variations across bioclimatic regions and functional groups. Physiologia Plantarum 177:  e70076

 

Sun, J., Liu, R., Sternberg, M., Zhou, L., Yang, Z. (2025) Grazing reduces shrub-facilitated diversity of ground-dwelling arthropods in semiarid ecosystems. Ecological Indicators 170, 13052. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.113052  

 

Adar, S., Paz-Kagan, T. Argaman, E., Dubinin, M., Sternberg, M.(2024) Identifying climatic drivers of forage quantity and quality in Mediterranean rangelands using remote sensing. Science of the Total Environment 957, 177797 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.17779

 
Shelef, O., Ben-Simchon, E., Sternberg, M., Cohen, O. (2024) Agronomic Estimation of Lupin (Lupinus pilosus L.) as a Prospective Crop. Agronomy  14, 2804. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122804 
 

Moura Fernandes, R., Sternberg, M., Vorst, C., Katz, O.. (2024) Plant silicon content as a proxy for understanding plant community properties and ecosystem structure. Ecosphere 15(7): e4907. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4907

 

Namdar, D., Mulder, P.P.J., Ben-Simchon, E., Hacham, Y., Basheer, L., Cohen, O., Sternberg, M., Shelef, O. (2024) New Analytical Approach to Quinolizidine Alkaloids and Their Assumed Biosynthesis Pathways in Lupin Seeds. Toxins  16: 163. https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins16030163

 

Yang, X., Sternberg, M., Song, W., Zhong, S., Chai, H., Li, J., Yao, Y., Meng, B., You, M., Jiang, Q., Yue, X., Li, L.J., Ma, J. M., Sun, W. (2024) The responses of soil nitrogen transformations to rainfall reduction mainly occurred in the early growing-season in a temperate meadow. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences 129, 6: e2023JG007749  https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007749

 

Smith, M.D., Wilkins, K.D., Holdrege, M.C.,   Wilfahrt, P., Collins, S.L., Knapp, A.K. ....Sternberg, M..…et al. (2024) Extreme drought impacts have been underestimated in grasslands and shrublands globally. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 121 (4), e2309881120 https://doi:10.1073/pnas.2309881120


Gupta, S.K., Ben-Dor, E.,Sternberg, M. (2024) Unveiling the Invasion: Advancing ecological mapping of Heterotheca subaxillaris through integrated remote sensing techniques with drones and satellites. IEEE Journal of Selected Topics in Applied Earth Observations and Remote Sensing.
https://doi: 10.1109/JSTARS.2024.3374232



Gupta, S. K., Efrati, B., Amir, O., Francos, N., Sternberg, M., Ben-Dor, E. (2023)
Smartphone-based spectroscopy as a tool to estimate soil attributes for the citizen science concept.Smart Agricultural Technology 5:100327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atech.2023.100327


Adar, S.,  Sternberg, M., Argaman, E., Henkin, Z., Dovrat, G., Zaady, E., Paz-Kagan, T. (2023) Testing a novel pasture quality index using remote sensing tools in semiarid and Mediterranean grasslands. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment 357: 108674 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2023.108674

 

DeMalach, N., Kigel, J., Sternberg, M. (2023) Contrasting dynamics of seed banks and standing vegetation of annuals and perennials along a rainfall gradient. Perspectives in Plant Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 58: 12571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ppees.2023.125718

 

Li, J., Zhang, T., Meng, B., Rudgers, J. A., Cui, N., Zhao, T., Chai, H., Yang, X., Sternberg, M., Sun, W. (2023) Disruption of fungal hyphae suppressed litter-derived C retention in soil and N translocation to plants under drought-stressed temperate grassland. Geoderma 432: 116396 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2023.116396 


Zhang, A., Chang, H., Liu, R., Sternberg, M. (2022) Shrub facilitative effects on the plant litter arthropod community shifts with decreasing precipitation in desertified ecosystems in northwestern China. Journal of Arid Environments 200: 104724.


Moshe, F. O. R., Sternberg, M. Ratner, T., Drori, I., Egozy, R. (2022) Customizing the Morphological Quality Index (MQI) to evaluate streams in Eastern-Mediterranean ecosystems. Environemntal Challenges 9: 100612
 

Adar, S., Sternberg, M.,  Paz-Kagan, T., Henkin, Z., Dovrat, G., Zaady, E., Argaman, E. (2022) Estimation of aboveground biomass production using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) and VENμS satellite imagery in Mediterranean and semiarid rangelands. Remote sensing applications, 26, 100753. doi: 10.1016/j.rsase.2022.100753

 

Yang, T.X., Chen, J.D., Zhong, X.Y., Yang, X.C., Wang, G., Yao, Y.,  Sternberg, M., Sun W. (2022) Divergent responses of plant biomass and its allocation to the altered precipitation regimes among different degraded grasslands in China.  Plant and Soil 473, 149–166 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05029-1


Kozhoridze, G., Ben Dor, E., Sternberg, M. (2022) Assessing the Dynamics of Plant Species Invasion in Eastern-Mediterranean Coastal Dunes Using Cellular Automata Modeling and Satellite Time-Series Analyses. Remote Sensing  14(4):1014. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14041014
 

Kröel-Dulay, G., Mojzes, A., Szitár, K. …. Sternberg, M. et al. (2022) Field experiments underestimate aboveground biomass response to drought. Nature, Ecology and  Evolution.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-022-01685-3

 

Yang, T.X., Chen, J.D., Zhong, X.Y., Yang, X.C., Wang, G., Yao, Y.,  Sternberg, M., Sun W. (2021) Divergent responses of plant biomass and its allocation to the altered precipitation regimes among different degraded grasslands in China.  Plant and Soil  https://DOI:10.1007/s11104-021-05029-1  

 

Kigel, J. Konsens, I., Segev, U. Sternberg, M. (2021) Temporal stability of biomass in annual plant communities is driven by species diversity and asynchrony, but not dominance. Journal of Vegetation Science 32:e13012,

 

Paz-Kagan, T., Chang, J. B., Shoshany, M., Sternberg, M., Karnieli, A. (2021) Assessment of plant species distribution and diversity along a climatic gradient from Mediterranean woodlands to semi-arid shrublands. GIScience & Remote Sensing 58: 929-953. DOI: 10.1080/15481603.2021.1953770

 

DeMalach, N., Kigel, J., Sternberg, M. (2021) The soil seed bank buffers long-term compositional changes in annual plant communities. Journal of Ecology 109:1275–1283 https://doi:org/10.1111/1365-2745.13555

 

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