Rei Diga

Gitai Yahel Lab

 

PhD candidate

I am an a PhD student under the joint supervision of Prof. Gitai Yahel, Ruppin Academic Center, and Prof. (emeritus) Amatzia Genin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I completed my MSc and BSc studies in 2021 in Marine Sciences from the Faculty for Marine Science in Ruppin Academic Center.

My work focuses on the removal, utilization and transformations of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by suspension feeders. he production, degradation, and cycling of carbon within the ocean are tightly coupled to the atmosphere and hence exert a strong control on the earth’s climate. DOM is the largest reservoir of organic matter in the ocean, similar in size to atmospheric CO2. The vast majority of DOM research focuses on the role of microbes in DOM processing and transformation. In contrast, the utilization, removal, and transformations of naturally occurring DOM by metazoans in situ have not been thoroughly studied. If occurring on a significant scale, removing, and transforming DOM by suspension-feeding metazoans can substantially revise our understanding of coastal marine ecosystem functioning and introduce a novel evaluation of the role of DOM as a nutritional source for metazoans.