About
I am a marine community ecologist and conservation biologist. I have been studying the ecology of coastal communities (rocky shores, coral reefs, seagrass and mesophotic reefs) for the past 32 years in many biogeographic regions (Mediterranean, Red Sea, Pacific, Atlantic and Caribbean coasts in both hemispheres). My research includes ecological surveys and field and lab experiments on biodiversity patterns, species interactions, animal behavior, benthic-pelagic coupling (larval recruitment) and more.
Publications
- Species-specific sensitivity to PAHs reveals widespread biodiversity impact from the 2021 oil spill in the Eastern Mediterranean, Lapidot, O., Perlin, N., Biton, E., Khain, P., Levi, Y., Alpert, P., Ramon, D., Stern, N., Rilov, G., Guy-Haim, T., Lehahn, Y., Paris, C. B. & Berenshtein, I., Dec 2026, In: Marine Pollution Bulletin. 233, 120090.
- Detecting marine climate change refugia using “physiological seascapes”, Rilov, G., Burrows, M. T., Bates, A. E., Seabra, R., Lima, F., Mazaris, A. D., Queirós, A. M., Smale, D., Garrabou, J., Dong, Y. W., Belmaker, J., Guy-Haim, T., Wahl, M. & Helmuth, B., Oct 2026, In: Biological Conservation. 322, 112026.
- Reconsidering the role of introduced species in the climate-affected and highly invaded eastern Mediterranean, Katsanevakis, S., Belmaker, J., Rilov, G., Yeruham, E., Konstantinidis, A., Papazekou, M., Giakoumi, S. & Mazaris, A. D., Aug 2026, In: Conservation Biology. 40, 4, e70288.
- Thermal risks and opportunities for a tropical invasive sea urchin in a fast-warming sea, Preiss, I., Raanan, G., Zilberman, S., Fadida, Y., Lapidot, Z., Berman-Frank, I. & Rilov, G., Jun 2026, In: Marine Environmental Research. 218, 108021.
- Shaping research in marine functional connectivity for integrated and effective marine science and management, Darnaude, A. M., Tanner, S. E., Blanco, A., Sturrock, A. M., Seker, Y. T., Pérez-Ruzafa, A., Kotta, J., Guy-Haim, T., Barboza, F. R., Hidalgo, M., Guizien, K., Penca, J., López-López, L., Beger, M., Costantini, F., Arnaud-Haond, S., Riginos, C., Hostens, K., Rilov, G. & Katsanevakis, S. & 1 others, , Jun 2026, In: Biological Reviews. 101, 3, p. 1143-1180 38 p.
- Methods to estimate marine functional connectivity: A primer, Sturrock, A. M., Tanner, S. E., Arnaud-Haond, S., Aguzzi, J., Barboza, F. R., Beger, M., Blanco, A., Brophy, D., Carreton, M., Childs, A. R., Costantini, F., Gaggiotti, O. E., Gillanders, B. M., González-Irusta, J. M., Guizien, K., Guy-Haim, T., Haase, S., Hunter, E., Kotta, J. & Lacroix, G. & 12 others, , Jun 2026, In: Ecological Applications. 36, 4, e70273.
- Invasive seaweeds may functionally compensate for the expected loss of endemic temperate species in the fast-warming Mediterranean Sea, Mulas, M., Silverman, J., Garval, T., Noe, S., Guy-Haim, T., Bellerby, R. G. J., Liu, J. & Rilov, G., May 2026, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Annals of Botany. 15 p.
- Macroalgal dynamics shape epiphytic foraminiferal assemblages in the eastern Mediterranean rocky reef, Hyams-Kaphzan, O., Almogi-Labin, A., Rilov, G., Panov, J., Kitin, M., Herut, B., Golomb, D. & Guy-Haim, T., May 2026, In: Marine Environmental Research. 217, 107976.
- Precursors of Marine Heatwaves in the Eastern Mediterranean, Garfinkel, C. I., Knobler, S., Liberzon, D. & Rilov, G., 28 Apr 2026, In: Geophysical Research Letters. 53, 8, e2025GL120652.
- No recovery: long-term monitoring reveals low and fluctuating populations of the endemic reef-building vermetid snail Dendropoma anguliferum on Levantine shores, Rilov, G., Zilberman, S., Raanan, G. & Sonego, Y., 2 Jan 2026, In: Mediterranean Marine Science. 27, 1, p. 28-34 7 p.
- Monitoring and Modeling the Dynamics of Halophila Stipulacea Meadows Using Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning Techniques, Cohen, T. A., Rilov, G., Winters, G. & Brook, A., 2026, New Trends in Theory and Practice of Digital Libraries - TPDL 2025 Short Papers and Workshops, Proceedings. Balke, W.-T., Golub, K., Manolopoulos, Y., Stefanidis, K., Zhang, Z., Aalberg, T. & Manghi, P. (eds.). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, p. 367-381 15 p. (Communications in Computer and Information Science; vol. 2694 CCIS).
- The biodiversity and metabolic functioning of alternative macroalgal habitats on Mediterranean rocky reefs, Ravaglioli, C., Pedicini, L., Tempesti, J., Langeneck, J., Biagiotti, I., Bertocci, I., Mulas, M., Silverman, J., Rilov, G. & Bulleri, F., Jan 2026, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 71, 1, e70292.
- Vulnerability of benthic trait diversity across the Mediterranean Sea following mass mortality events, Carlot, J., Galobart, C., Gómez-Gras, D., Santamaría, J., Golo, R., Sini, M., Cebrian, E., Gerovasileiou, V., Ponti, M., Turicchia, E., Comeau, S., Rilov, G., Tamburello, L., Pulido Mantas, T., Cerrano, C., Ledoux, J. B., Gattuso, J. P., Ramirez-Calero, S., Millan, L. & Montefalcone, M. & 4 others, , Dec 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, 1, 1571.
- Climate Change Impacts in Eastern Mediterranean Sea: Trends and Extremes, Knobler, S., Rilov, G., Garfinkel, C. I. & Liberzon, D., Nov 2025, In: Water Waves. 7, 3, p. 521-556 36 p.
- Lessepsian migration in the Mediterranean Sea in an era of climate change: Plague or boon?, Katsanevakis, S., Nikolaou, A., Tsirintanis, K. & Rilov, G., Mar 2025, In: Science Talks. 13, 100412.
- Fine-scale surface complexity promotes temperature extremes but reduces the spatial extent of refugia on coastal rocks, Barrett, T. J., Li, M., Gouhier, T., Rilov, G., Helmuth, B., Choi, F., Filin, S. & Müftü, S., Feb 2025, In: Ecological Modelling. 501, 110969.
- שוניות החוף הסלעי של דרום - מזרח הים התיכון - עבר, הווה ועתיד בעידן של שינויים גלובליים מואצים, רילוב, ג., 2025, הוד הים: איתנות ותמורות במערכות הימיות של ישראל. סטמבלר, נ. (ed.). חיפה: העמותה הישראלית למדעי הימים, p. 463-480 18 p.
- Cross-basin and cross-taxa patterns of marine community tropicalization and deborealization in warming European seas, Chust, G., Villarino, E., McLean, M., Mieszkowska, N., Benedetti-Cecchi, L., Bulleri, F., Ravaglioli, C., Borja, A., Muxika, I., Fernandes-Salvador, J. A., Ibaibarriaga, L., Uriarte, A., Revilla, M., Villate, F., Iriarte, A., Uriarte, I., Zervoudaki, S., Carstensen, J., Somerfield, P. J. & Queirós, A. M. & 19 others, , Dec 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, 2126.
- A dynamic subtropical coastal hotspot of benthic foraminifera in the Southeastern Mediterranean indicates early-stage tropicalization, Manda, S., Herut, B., Rilov, G., Kucera, M., Morard, R., Abramovich, S. & Ashckenazi-Polivoda, S., 1 Oct 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 945, 173917.
- Taming the terminological tempest in invasion science, Soto, I., Balzani, P., Carneiro, L., Cuthbert, R. N., Macêdo, R., Serhan Tarkan, A., Ahmed, D. A., Bang, A., Bacela-Spychalska, K., Bailey, S. A., Baudry, T., Ballesteros-Mejia, L., Bortolus, A., Briski, E., Britton, J. R., Buřič, M., Camacho-Cervantes, M., Cano-Barbacil, C., Copilaș-Ciocianu, D. & Coughlan, N. E. & 65 others, , Aug 2024, In: Biological Reviews. 99, 4, p. 1357-1390 34 p.
- Poor online information on European marine protected areas impairs public participation under the Aarhus Convention, Rossi, V., Pipitone, C., Yates, K. L., Badalamenti, F., D'Anna, G., Pita, C., Alves, F. L., Argente-García, J. E., Basta, J., Claudet, J., Dahl, K., Fraschetti, S., Giovos, I., Mackelworth, P., Maniopoulou, M., Markantonatou, V., Marques, M., Noguera-Méndez, P., Piwowarczyk, J. & Raykov, V. & 7 others, , Mar 2024, In: Marine Policy. 161, 106012.
- Co-occurrence of native and invasive macroalgae might be facilitated under global warming, Bommarito, C., Noè, S., Díaz-Morales, D. M., Lukić, I., Hiebenthal, C., Rilov, G., Guy-Haim, T. & Wahl, M., 20 Feb 2024, In: Science of the Total Environment. 912, 169087.
- Ocean acidification impairs seagrass performance under thermal stress in shallow and deep water, Ravaglioli, C., De Marchi, L., Anselmi, S., Dattolo, E., Fontanini, D., Pretti, C., Procaccini, G., Rilov, G., Renzi, M., Silverman, J. & Bulleri, F., 15 Jan 2024, In: Environmental Research. 241, 117629.
- Response of native and invasive grazers to global warming: marine heatwaves vs. gradual trends, Noè, S., Bommarito, C., Díaz-Morales, D. M., Guy-Haim, T., Ermak, K., Wahl, M., Sures, B., Morov, A. R. & Rilov, G., 2024, In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. 748, p. 69-82 14 p.
- Coastal Management: Adaptation and Resilience of Coastal Ecosystems to Environmental Change, Chen, W., Ruiz-Frau, A., Simons, S., Koch, S. J., van den Burg, S. W. K., Rilov, G., Teng, X., Zhao, Q., Zhang, P., Renaud, P. E., Bellerby, R. G., Yakushev, E., Teien, K. T. & White, L. T., 1 Jan 2024, Treatise on Estuarine and Coastal Science, Second Edition: Seven Volume Set. Elsevier, p. Vol6:695-Vol6:715
- עשבי ים – חשיבותם למערכת האקולוגית ולקיבוע פחמן כחול: [מתוך המדור: בקצרה], רילוב, ג., 2024, In: אקולוגיה וסביבה.
- Ecological impacts of invasive ecosystem engineers: A global perspective across terrestrial and aquatic systems, Rilov, G., Canning-Clode, J. & Guy-Haim, T., Jan 2024, In: Functional Ecology. 38, 1, p. 37-51 15 p.
- Warming and parasitism impair the performance of Baltic native and invasive macroalgae and their associated fauna, Bommarito, C., Díaz-Morales, D. M., Guy-Haim, T., Noè, S., Delasalle, J., Buchholz, B., Khosravi, M., Rilov, G., Sures, B. & Wahl, M., Aug 2023, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 68, 8, p. 1852-1864 13 p.
- Superior growth traits of invaded (Caribbean) versus native (Red sea) populations of the seagrass Halophila stipulacea, Winters, G., Conte, C., Beca-Carretero, P., Nguyen, H. M., Migliore, L., Mulas, M., Rilov, G., Guy-Haim, T., González, M. J., Medina, I., Golomb, D., Baharier, N., Kaminer, M. & Kitson-Walters, K., Jul 2023, In: Biological Invasions. 25, 7, p. 2325-2342 18 p.
- Invasive Fish and Sea Urchins Drive the Status of Canopy Forming Macroalgae in the Eastern Mediterranean, Nikolaou, A., Tsirintanis, K., Rilov, G. & Katsanevakis, S., Jun 2023, In: Biology. 12, 6, 763.
- Parasitism enhances gastropod feeding on invasive and native algae while altering essential energy reserves for organismal homeostasis upon warming, Díaz-Morales, D. M., Bommarito, C., Knol, J., Grabner, D. S., Noè, S., Rilov, G., Wahl, M., Guy-Haim, T. & Sures, B., 10 Mar 2023, In: Science of the Total Environment. 863, 160727.
- Marine top secrets: Ichthyoplankton in surface water uncover hidden knowledge on fish diversity and distribution, Guerchon, J., Morov, A. R., Tagar, A., Rubin-Blum, M., Tikochinski, Y., Berenshtein, I., Rilov, G. & Stern, N., 5 Mar 2023, In: Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 282, 108226.
- Unpublished Mediterranean and Black Sea records of marine alien, cryptogenic, and neonative species, Ragkousis, M., Zenetos, A., Souissi, J. B., Hoffman, R., Ghanem, R., Taşkın, E., Muresan, M., Karpova, E., Slynko, E., Dağlı, E., Fortič, A., Surugiu, V., Mačić, V., Trkov, D., Bahri, W. R., Tsiamis, K., Ramos-Espla, A. A., Petović, S., Ferrario, J. & Marchini, A. & 153 others, , 2023, In: BioInvasions Records. 12, 2, p. 339-369 31 p.
- Marine invasive alien species in Europe: 9 years after the IAS Regulation, Katsanevakis, S., Olenin, S., Puntila-Dodd, R., Rilov, G., Stæhr, P. A. U., Teixeira, H., Tsirintanis, K., Birchenough, S. N. R., Jakobsen, H. H., Knudsen, S. W., Lanzén, A., Mazaris, A. D., Piraino, S. & Tidbury, H. J., 2023, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 10, 1271755.
- Distribution, health and threats to Mediterranean macroalgal forests: defining the baselines for their conservation and restoration, Verdura, J., Rehues, L., Mangialajo, L., Fraschetti, S., Belattmania, Z., Bianchelli, S., Blanfuné, A., Sabour, B., Chiarore, A., Danovaro, R., Fabbrizzi, E., Giakoumi, S., Iveša, L., Katsanevakis, S., Kytinou, E., Nasto, I., Nikolaou, A., Orfanidis, S., Rilov, G. & Rindi, F. & 6 others, , 2023, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 10, 1258842.
- Last snail standing? superior thermal resilience of an alien tropical intertidal gastropod over natives in an ocean-warming hotspot, Rilov, G., Klein, L., Iluz, D., Dubinsky, Z. & Guy-Haim, T., Dec 2022, In: Biological Invasions. 24, 12, p. 3703-3719 17 p.
- Marine heatwaves drive recurrent mass mortalities in the Mediterranean Sea, Garrabou, J., Gómez-Gras, D., Medrano, A., Cerrano, C., Ponti, M., Schlegel, R., Bensoussan, N., Turicchia, E., Sini, M., Gerovasileiou, V., Teixido, N., Mirasole, A., Tamburello, L., Cebrian, E., Rilov, G., Ledoux, J. B., Souissi, J. B., Khamassi, F., Ghanem, R. & Benabdi, M. & 49 others, , Oct 2022, In: Global Change Biology. 28, 19, p. 5708-5725 18 p.
- An invasive herbivorous fish (Siganus rivulatus) influences both benthic and planktonic microbes through defecation and nutrient excretion, Escalas, A., Avouac, A., Belmaker, J., Bouvier, T., Clédassou, V., Ferraton, F., Rieuvilleneuve, F., Rilov, G., Rovirosa Mulet, A., Shapiro Goldberg, D. & Villéger, S., 10 Sep 2022, In: Science of the Total Environment. 838, Pt 3, 156207.
- Thermal vulnerability of the Levantine endemic and endangered habitat-forming macroalga, Gongolaria rayssiae: implications for reef carbon, Mulas, M., Silverman, J., Guy-Haim, T., Noè, S. & Rilov, G., 8 Aug 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 862332.
- A review of the combined effects of climate change and other local human stressors on the marine environment, Gissi, E., Manea, E., Mazaris, A. D., Fraschetti, S., Almpanidou, V., Bevilacqua, S., Coll, M., Guarnieri, G., Lloret-Lloret, E., Pascual, M., Petza, D., Rilov, G., Schonwald, M., Stelzenmüller, V. & Katsanevakis, S., 10 Feb 2021, In: Science of the Total Environment. 755, 142564.
- Invasive alien species and their effects on marine animal forests, Creed, J. C., Rocha, R. M., Hoeksema, B. W., Serrano, E., Rilov, G., Milazzo, M., Miranda, R. J., Sánchez, J. A., Fleury, B. G. & Silva, A. G., 6 Feb 2021, Perspectives on the Marine Animal Forests of the World. Springer, p. 419-467 49 p.
- Assessing vermetid reefs as indicators of past sea levels in the Mediterranean, Sisma-Ventura, G., Antonioli, F., Silenzi, S., Devoti, S., Montagna, P., Chemello, R., Shemesh, A., Yam, R., Gehrels, R., Dean, S., Rilov, G. & Sivan, D., Nov 2020, In: Marine Geology. 429, 106313.
- The Restructuring of Levant Reefs by Aliens, Ocean Warming and Overfishing: Implications for Species Interactions and Ecosystem Functions, Rilov, G., Peleg, O. & Guy-Haim, T., 1 Jan 2019, Interactions in the Marine Benthos: Global Patterns and Processes. Cambridge University Press, p. 214-236 23 p.
- ISRAEL (MEDITERRANEAN), Edelist, D., Scheinin, A., Sonin, O., Shapiro, J., Salameh, P., Rilov, G., Benayahu, Y., Schulz, D. & Zeller, D., 1 Jan 2016, Global Atlas of Marine Fisheries: A Critical Appraisal of Catches and Ecosystem Impacts. Princeton University Press, p. 300 1 p.
- מגמות בדיג הישראלי בים התיכון, אדליסט, ד. & רילוב, ג., 2014, In: אקולוגיה וסביבה. 5, 1, p. 90-97 8 p.
- Israel: Reconstructed estimates of total fisheries removals in the Mediterranean, 1950-2010, Edelist, D., Scheinin, A., Sonin, O., Shapiro, J., Salameh, P., Rilov, G., Benayahu, Y., Schulz, D. & Zeller, D., Dec 2013, In: Acta Adriatica. 54, 2, p. 253-263 11 p.
- השפעות שינוי האקלים הגלובלי על המערכות האקולוגיות הימיות: תמונת מצב עולמית והשלכות על הסביבה הימית בישראל, רילוב, ג. & טרבס, ח., 2010, In: אקולוגיה וסביבה. 1, p. 57-65 9 p.
- אקוטוריזם ימי - צלילה ידידותית לסביבה, קלין, ר. & רילוב, ג., 1997, In: צלילה. 12, p. 44-48 5 p.
- זהירות, טורפדו!, רילוב, ג., 1996, In: ים. 52, p. 30-33 4 p.
- שיכון לדגים צעירים, רילוב, ג., 1994, In: ים. 39, p. 42-45 4 p.
Education
BSc, MSc, PhD at Tel Aviv University
Academic Background
With a Fulbright Fellowship I did a Post-Doc at Duke University (USA), then a Post Doc with a Mellon Foundation Fellowship at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). Then, I spent 3.5 years at Oregon State University as a researcher and Science Coordinator of the Partnership of Interdisciplinary Studies of Coastal Oceans (PISCO). In 2008 I returned to Israel and was first an Adjunct Lecturer at the Marine Collage of the Rupin Academic Center and then joined the National Institute of Oceanography at IOLR as a senior Researcher. In 2012 I also joined the Senior Faculty of the Marine Biology Department of the University of Haifa.
Research Areas
My lab currently runs the part of the Mediterranean National Monitoring Program surveying rocky shore biodiversity, with a focus on vermetid reefs. The focus of our research is on the ecology and biodiversity of Mediterranean coastal communities, and the effects of bioinvasions, climate change (warming, acidification, sea level rise and extreme events) and pollution, as well as the combinations of these multiple stressors, on communities and their ecosystem functions. We also study the effect of and marine protected areas in this context. I am trying to translate my findings and insights into actions regarding ecosystem services (with a special focus on blue carbon), nature based-solutions, and marine conservation planning. My students also studied sea turtle ecology and conservation, shark populations in the eastern Mediterranean as well as seagrass ecology and mapping in the Red Sea. To answer our scientific questions, or lab combined field surveys and observations with experiments both at sea and in the lab. Over the years, we have established several indoor and outdoor mesocosm systems to test the effects of multiple stressors on species and communities. We are involved in several large European consortia and have been collaborating bi-nationally with labs in the USA and Germany. I am also a lead author of the IPEBS Biodiversity monitoring global assessment.