merav

86991 Observations 8160 Species 21583 Identifications 30802

Annotations 4 Journal Posts 3 Lists 222 Followers

Merav Vonshak Curator

Joined: Mar 29, 2014 Last Active: Oct 29, 2024 iNaturalist Monthly Supporter since May 2020

I'm an ecologist and an entomologist, studying ants and other arthropods, and their complex relationship with their environment. I love exploring nature with other people, and especially exposing new people to the amazing biodiversity that is everywhere around us.
I have been organizing BioBlitzes in the South Bay since 2017 - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/south-bay-bioblitz-events - please join the project to follow us!
You can also view our future and past events on my website - https://www.bioblitz.club/
I organize and participate in the newt roadkill study near Lexington Reservoir. If you've seen photos of thousands of dead newts on iNat and were wondering about it, you can find more info here - https://www.bioblitz.club/newts
You can view the Naturalist Training Series here - http://tinyurl.com/mvn8c84w, and you can join our efforts in documenting the diversity of organisms found on Coast Live Oak - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/the-wonderful-diversity-of-life-on-coast-live-oak

For my MSc I've studied the food base of two spiny mice species, and their internal parasites.
For my PhD I've studied the non-native ants of Israel, including an unfortunate discovery of the little fire ant invasion to the Jordan Valley. I co-publish a species list of the ants of Israel, in addition to some more ecologically-oriented manuscripts. During my postdoc, I've studied the interactions between the non-native Argentine ant and the local ant species along a gradient of human disturbance from the Santa Cruz Mountains foothill to the town of Palo Alto.

On 10/2/2021 we started the first Gall Week project - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/gall-week-2021-9e58d299-60ec-4b10-af61-11ec0ab46974
The 2nd Gall Week event was on 9/2022 - https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/gall-week-2022
I hope we'll have many more!

Some useful links -
Useful iNat search tools - https://navinsasikumar.github.io/inat-tools/
California Oak Galls/ Joyce Gross - http://joycegross.com/galls_ca_oak.php
Mite galls of North America - https://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/CAT87208955/PDF
A guide to aphid species by host plant - http://www.aphidsonworldsplants.info/
A Field Guide to Insects and Diseases of California Oaks - https://oaks.cnr.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Field-Guide-to-Insects-and-Diseases.pdf
Syrphid flies - http://www.cavette.net/photos/syrphids/
Sawfly larvae - http://www.wildlifeinsight.com/sawfly-caterpillars-or-larvae/
Aquatic Insects of CA - https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/40665957#page/222/mode/1up
The Semiaquatic and Aquatic Hemiptera of California - https://essig.berkeley.edu/documents/cis/cis21.pdf
Pacific Northwest Moths and Butterflies - https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/technology/pdfs/MILLER_LEPIDOPTERA_WEB.pdf
Life in water - https://www.plingfactory.de/pling.html
Microscopic life in water - https://www.plingfactory.de/Science/GruKlaOeko/Teichleben/e-TL3.html
Guide to Distinguishing Western Pond Turtles from Common Pond Sliders - https://bioaccumulation.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/03102024_final-poster_v4.pdf