Dr. Shani Levy
Lecturer
Our lab studies the symbiosis between corals and unicellular symbiotic algae of the family Symbiodiniaceae, which reside within specialized cells in the coral tissue. This symbiosis forms the foundation of coral reef ecosystems but is highly sensitive to environmental change. We investigate the mechanisms that sustain this partnership, as well as the processes that lead to its breakdown in the phenomenon known as coral bleaching, which is responsible for the widespread loss of reefs worldwide.
Our research focuses on the responses of both partners, the coral host and the algal symbionts, to environmental stress, and on the role of the coral immune system in maintaining the symbiosis and in driving bleaching. To address these questions, we combine approaches from ecology, physiology, and molecular biology, aiming to deepen our understanding of the complex interactions between corals and their symbionts.
Academic Background
B.Sc. Marine Biology and Biotechnology, Ruppin Academic Center
M.Sc. Biology (Plant Sciences), Tel Aviv University
Ph.D. Marine Biology, University of Haifa
Selected Publications
Kozlovski, I., Sharoni, T., Levy, S., Jaimes-Becerra, A., Talice, S., Kwak, H. J., … & Moran, Y. (2025). Functional characterization of immune cells in a cnidarian reveals an ancestral antiviral program. bioRxiv, 2025-01. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.01.24.634691.
Shemesh, T.*, Levy, S.*, Einbinder, A., Kolsky, I., Bellworthy, J., & Mass, T. The Effects of Elevated Temperatures on the Reproductive Biology of a Mediterranean Coral, Oculina patagonica (2024). Oceans MDPI Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 758-769. https://doi.org/10.3390/oceans5040043.
Li, Y., Slavik, K. M., Toyoda, H. C., Morehouse, B. R., Mann, C. C. O., Elek, A., Levy, S., Wang, Z., Mears, K., Liu, J., Kashin, D., Guo, X., Mass, T., Sebé-Pedrós, A., Schwede, F. & Kranzusch, P. cGLRs are a diverse family of pattern recognition receptors in innate immunity (2023). Cell, 186(15), 3261-3276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2023.05.038
Levy, S. and Mass, T. The Skeleton and Biomineralization Mechanism as Part of the Innate Immune System of Stony Corals (2022). Frontiers in Immunology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2022.850338
Mor Khalifa, G., Levy, S., Mass, T. The calcifying interface in a stony coral primary polyp: An interplay between seawater and an extracellular calcifying space (2021). Journal of Structural Biology, 213. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsb.2021.107803
Baldassarre, L.*, Levy, S.*, Bar-Shalom, R., Steindler, L., Lotan, T., & Fraune, S. Contribution of maternal and paternal transmission to bacterial colonization in Nematostella vectensis (2021). Frontiers in Microbiology. *Equal contribution. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.726795
Levy, S.*, Elek, A.*, Grau-Bové, X., Menéndez-Bravo, S., Iglesias, M., Tanay, A., Mass, T., Sebé-Pedrós, A. A stony coral cell atlas illuminates the molecular and cellular basis of coral symbiosis, calcification, and immunity (2021). Cell 184 (11), 2973–2987. *Equal contribution. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2021.04.005, Preview article [link].
Levy, S., Brekhman, V., Bakhman, A., Malik, A., Sebé-Pedrós, A., Kosloff, M., & Lotan, T. Ectopic activation of GABA B receptors inhibits neurogenesis and metamorphosis in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis (2021). Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(1), 111-121. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01338-3
Teaching
Immunology, Ecology and Biology of Coral Reefs, Ecology and Biology of the Mediterranean Sea, Marine Biotechnology, The Flora and Fauna of Israel, Negev Field Trip