דניאל שר - בית הספר למדעי הים ע"ש ליאון צ'רני

About▼

Prof. Daniel Sher is a Professor of Marine Biology at the Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa. Daniel completed his undergraduate and PhD studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, followed by postdoctoral studies at MIT. His main research interest lies in Aquatic Chemical Ecology and Microbial Oceanography – understanding how aquatic organisms communicate through chemistry, the chemicals that mediate these interactions, and how these interactions affect entire ecosystems.

Daniel is also a member of the steering committee of the University of Haifa Data Science Research Center, and of the outreach committee of the School of Marine Sciences.

Publications▼

Models and co-culture experiments assess four mechanisms of phytoplankton–bacteria interactions, Weissberg, O., Aharonovich, D., Wu, Z., Follows, M. J. & Sher, D., Jan 2026, In: Nature Microbiology. 11, 1, p. 271-281 11 p.
Bacterial extracellular vesicles exhibit distinct functional potential across biogeographic provinces of the South Pacific Ocean, Fadeev, E., Orel, N., Tinta, T., Afjehi-Sadat, L., Liu, H., Browning, T. J., Yuan, Z., Achterberg, E. P., Biller, S. J., Sher, D. J. & Herndl, G. J., Jan 2026, In: ISME Journal. 20, 1, wrag171.
Jellyfish blooms through the microbial lens: temporal changes, cross-species and Jellyfish-water comparisons, Barak, N., Brekhman, V., Aharonovich, D., Lotan, T. & Sher, D., Dec 2025, In: Environmental Microbiome. 20, 1, 49.
Collaborative metabolic curation of an emerging model marine bacterium, Alteromonas macleodii ATCC 27126, Sher, D., George, E. E., Wietz, M., Gifford, S., Zoccarato, L., Weissberg, O., Koedooder, C., Kalladi, W. B. V., Barreto Filho, M. M., Mireles, R., Malavin, S., Naim, M. L., Idan, T., Shrivastava, V., Itelson, L., Sade, D., Hamoud, A. A., Soussan-Farhat, Y., Barak, N. & Karp, P. & 1 others, Moore, L. R., Apr 2025, In: PLOS ONE. 20, 4 April, e0321141.
המיקרוביום של מים מתוקים בישראל, ⁨שוויצר-נתן, א.⁩, ⁨אל-אשהב, א.⁩, ⁨סוקניק, א.⁩ & ⁨שר, ד.⁩, 2025, הוד הים: איתנות ותמורות במערכות הימיות של ישראל. ⁨סטמבלר, נ.⁩ (ed.). חיפה: העמותה הישראלית למדעי הימים, p. 285-304 20 p.
Directional swimming patterns in jellyfish aggregations, Malul, D., Berman, H., Solodoch, A., Tal, O., Barak, N., Mizrahi, G., Berenshtein, I., Toledo, Y., Lotan, T., Sher, D., Shavit, U. & Lehahn, Y., 9 Sep 2024, In: Current Biology. 34, 17, p. 4033-4038.e5
A model of time-dependent macromolecular and elemental composition of phytoplankton, Omta, A. W., Liefer, J. D., Finkel, Z. V., Irwin, A. J., Sher, D. & Follows, M. J., 7 Sep 2024, In: Journal of Theoretical Biology. 592, 111883.
Quantitative principles of microbial metabolism shared across scales, Sher, D., Segrè, D. & Follows, M. J., Aug 2024, In: Nature Microbiology. 9, 8, p. 1940-1953 14 p.
Diversity in the utilization of different molecular classes of dissolved organic matter by heterotrophic marine bacteria, Givati, S., Forchielli, E., Aharonovich, D., Barak, N., Weissberg, O., Belkin, N., Rahav, E., Segrè, D. & Sher, D., Jul 2024, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 90, 7
Nutrient dynamics across the Israeli coastal shelf: An unusual oligotrophic coastal system, Ben-Ezra, T., Reich, T., Tsemel, A., Berman-Frank, I., Lehahn, Y., Sher, D., Suari, Y. & Krom, M. D., 1 Sep 2023, In: Continental Shelf Research. 266, 105103.
Phytoplankton Producer Species and Transformation of Released Compounds over Time Define Bacterial Communities following Phytoplankton Dissolved Organic Matter Pulses, Eigemann, F., Rahav, E., Grossart, H. P., Aharonovich, D., Voss, M. & Sher, D., Jul 2023, In: Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 89, 7
Testing the growth rate and translation compensation hypotheses in marine bacterioplankton, Givati, S., Yang, X., Sher, D. & Rahav, E., Jun 2023, In: Environmental Microbiology. 25, 6, p. 1186-1199 14 p.
Selecting 16S rRNA Primers for Microbiome Analysis in a Host–Microbe System: The Case of the Jellyfish Rhopilema nomadica, Barak, N., Fadeev, E., Brekhman, V., Aharonovich, D., Lotan, T. & Sher, D., Apr 2023, In: Microorganisms. 11, 4, 955.
Phototroph-heterotroph interactions during growth and long-term starvation across Prochlorococcus and Alteromonas diversity, Weissberg, O., Aharonovich, D. & Sher, D., Feb 2023, In: ISME Journal. 17, 2, p. 227-237 11 p.
The microbial community spatially varies during a Microcystis bloom event in Lake Kinneret, Schweitzer-Natan, O., Ofek-Lalzar, M., Sher, D. & Sukenik, A., Feb 2023, In: Freshwater Biology. 68, 2, p. 349-363 15 p.
Characterization of membrane vesicles in Alteromonas macleodii indicates potential roles in their copiotrophic lifestyle, Fadeev, E., Bastos, C. C., Hennenfeind, J. H., Biller, S. J., Sher, D., Wietz, M. & Herndl, G. J., 2023, In: MicroLife. 4, uqac025.
Single-cell measurements and modelling reveal substantial organic carbon acquisition by Prochlorococcus, Wu, Z., Aharonovich, D., Roth-Rosenberg, D., Weissberg, O., Luzzatto-Knaan, T., Vogts, A., Zoccarato, L., Eigemann, F., Grossart, H. P., Voss, M., Follows, M. J. & Sher, D., Dec 2022, In: Nature Microbiology. 7, 12, p. 2068-2077 10 p.
Microbe Profile: Alteromonas macleodii − a widespread, fast-responding, ‘interactive’ marine bacterium, Wietz, M., López-Pérez, M., Sher, D., Biller, S. J. & Rodriguez-Valera, F., 30 Nov 2022, In: Microbiology (United Kingdom). 168, 11, 001236.
Freshwater microbial metagenomes sampled across different water body characteristics, space and time in Israel, Al-Ashhab, A., Marmen, S., Schweitzer-Natan, O., Bolotin, E., Patil, H., Viner-Mozzini, D., Aharonovich, D., Hershberg, R., Minz, D., Carmeli, S., Cytryn, E., Sukenik, A. & Sher, D., 26 Oct 2022, In: Scientific Data. 9, 1, p. 652 652.
Metabolic Phenotyping of Marine Heterotrophs on Refactored Media Reveals Diverse Metabolic Adaptations and Lifestyle Strategies, Forchielli, E., Sher, D. & Segrè, D., 30 Aug 2022, In: mSystems. 7, 4, p. e0007022
Seasonal patterns of coccolithophores in the ultra-oligotrophic South-East Levantine Basin, Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Keuter, S., Silverman, J., Krom, M. D., Sisma-Ventura, G., Yu, J., Tsemel, A., Ben-Ezra, T., Sher, D., Reich, T., Koplovitz, G. & Frada, M. J., 1 Aug 2022, In: Marine Micropaleontology. 175, 102153.
Phytoplankton exudates provide full nutrition to a subset of accompanying heterotrophic bacteria via carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus allocation, Eigemann, F., Rahav, E., Grossart, H. P., Aharonovich, D., Sher, D., Vogts, A. & Voss, M., May 2022, In: Environmental Microbiology. 24, 5, p. 2467-2483 17 p.
Spatiotemporal Variation of Microbial Communities in the Ultra-Oligotrophic Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Haber, M., Roth Rosenberg, D., Lalzar, M., Burgsdorf, I., Saurav, K., Lionheart, R., Lehahn, Y., Aharonovich, D., Gómez-Consarnau, L., Sher, D., Krom, M. D. & Steindler, L., 7 Apr 2022, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 13, p. 867694 867694.
A year in the life of the Eastern Mediterranean: Monthly dynamics of phytoplankton and bacterioplankton in an ultra-oligotrophic sea, Reich, T., Ben-Ezra, T., Belkin, N., Tsemel, A., Aharonovich, D., Roth-Rosenberg, D., Givati, S., Bialik, M., Herut, B., Berman-Frank, I., Frada, M., Krom, M. D., Lehahn, Y., Rahav, E. & Sher, D., Apr 2022, In: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 182, 103720.
A comparative whole-genome approach identifies bacterial traits for marine microbial interactions, Zoccarato, L., Sher, D., Miki, T., Segrè, D. & Grossart, H. P., 28 Mar 2022, In: Communications Biology. 5, 1, p. 276 276.
Seasonal nutrient dynamics in the P depleted Eastern Mediterranean Sea, Ben Ezra, T., Krom, M. D., Tsemel, A., Berman-Frank, I., Herut, B., Lehahn, Y., Rahav, E., Reich, T., Thingstad, T. F. & Sher, D., Oct 2021, In: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 176, 103607.
Modeling Photosynthesis and Exudation in Subtropical Oceans, Wu, Z., Dutkiewicz, S., Jahn, O., Sher, D., White, A. & Follows, M. J., Sep 2021, In: Global Biogeochemical Cycles. 35, 9, e2021GB006941.
Particle-associated and free-living bacterial communities in an oligotrophic sea are affected by different environmental factors, Roth Rosenberg, D., Haber, M., Goldford, J., Lalzar, M., Aharonovich, D., Al-Ashhab, A., Lehahn, Y., Segrè, D., Steindler, L. & Sher, D., Aug 2021, In: Environmental Microbiology. 23, 8, p. 4295-4308 14 p.
Physiological and Transcriptomic Variability Indicative of Differences in Key Functions Within a Single Coral Colony, Drake, J. L., Malik, A., Popovits, Y., Yosef, O., Shemesh, E., Stolarski, J., Tchernov, D., Sher, D. & Mass, T., 30 Jun 2021, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 8, 685876.
Seasonal Dynamics Are the Major Driver of Microbial Diversity and Composition in Intensive Freshwater Aquaculture, Marmen, S., Fadeev, E., Al Ashhab, A., Benet-Perelberg, A., Naor, A., Patil, H. J., Cytryn, E., Viner-Mozzini, Y., Sukenik, A., Lalzar, M. & Sher, D., 24 Jun 2021, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 12, p. 679743 679743.
Conservation and turnover of miRNAs and their highly complementary targets in early branching animals, Praher, D., Zimmermann, B., Dnyansagar, R., Miller, D. J., Moya, A., Modepalli, V., Fridrich, A., Sher, D., Friis-Møller, L., Sundberg, P., Fôret, S., Ashby, R., Moran, Y. & Technau, U., 24 Feb 2021, In: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 288, 1945, p. 20203169 20203169.
Dynamic Allocation of Carbon Storage and Nutrient-Dependent Exudation in a Revised Genome-Scale Model of Prochlorococcus, Ofaim, S., Sulheim, S., Almaas, E., Sher, D. & Segrè, D., 9 Feb 2021, In: Frontiers in Genetics. 12, p. 586293 586293.
Comparative whole-genome approach to identify bacterial traits for microbial interactions, Sher, D., Zoccarato, L., Miki, T., Segrè, D. & Grossart, H. P., 2021, In: bioRxiv.
Temporal resistome and microbial community dynamics in an intensive aquaculture facility with prophylactic antimicrobial treatment, Patil, H. J., Gatica, J., Zolti, A., Benet-Perelberg, A., Naor, A., Dror, B., Ashhab, A. A., Marman, S., Hasan, N. A., Colwell, R. R., Sher, D., Minz, D. & Cytryn, E., Dec 2020, In: Microorganisms. 8, 12, p. 1-17 17 p., 1984.
A tentacle for every occasion: Comparing the hunting tentacles and sweeper tentacles, used for territorial competition, in the coral Galaxea fascicularis, Yosef, O., Popovits, Y., Malik, A., Ofek-Lalzer, M., Mass, T. & Sher, D., 8 Aug 2020, In: BMC Genomics. 21, 1, 548.
Quantifying nutrient throughput and DOM production by algae in continuous culture, Omta, A. W., Talmy, D., Inomura, K., Irwin, A. J., Finkel, Z. V., Sher, D., Liefer, J. D. & Follows, M. J., 7 Jun 2020, In: Journal of Theoretical Biology. 494, 110214.
Prochlorococcus cells rely on microbial interactions rather than on chlorotic resting stages to survive long-term nutrient starvation, Roth-Rosenberg, D., Aharonovich, D., Luzzatto-Knaan, T., Vogts, A., Zoccarato, L., Eigemann, F., Nago, N., Grossart, H. P., Voss, M. & Sher, D., 2020, In: mBio. 11, 4, p. 1-13 13 p., e01846-20.
Particle-Associated Microbial Community in a Subtropical Lake During Thermal Mixing and Phytoplankton Succession, Schweitzer-Natan, O., Ofek-Lalzar, M., Sher, D. & Sukenik, A., 13 Sep 2019, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 10, 2142.
The chemical armament of reef-building corals: Inter- and intra-specific variation and the identification of an unusual actinoporin in Stylophora pistilata, Ben-Ari, H., Paz, M. & Sher, D., 1 Dec 2018, In: Scientific Reports. 8, 1, 251.
Prochlorococcus in the lab and in silico: The importance of representing exudation, Grossowicz, M., Roth-Rosenberg, D., Aharonovich, D., Silverman, J., Follows, M. J. & Sher, D., 1 Mar 2017, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 62, 2, p. 818-835 18 p.
Transcriptional response of Prochlorococcus to co-culture with a marine Alteromonas: Differences between strains and the involvement of putative infochemicals, Aharonovich, D. & Sher, D., 1 Dec 2016, In: ISME Journal. 10, 12, p. 2892-2906 15 p.
Why close a bacterial genome? The plasmid of Alteromonas macleodii HOT1A3 is a vector for inter-specific transfer of a flexible genomic Island, Fadeev, E., De Pascale, F., Vezzi, A., Hübner, S., Aharonovich, D. & Sher, D., 8 Mar 2016, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 7, MAR, 248.
Rapid Hydrogen Peroxide release from the coral Stylophora pistillata during feeding and in response to chemical and physical stimuli, Armoza-Zvuloni, R., Schneider, A., Sher, D. & Shaked, Y., 15 Feb 2016, In: Scientific Reports. 6, 21000.
AdE-1, a new inotropic Na+ channel toxin from Aiptasia diaphana, is similar to, yet distinct from, known anemone Na+ channel toxins, Nesher, N., Shapira, E., Sher, D., Moran, Y., Tsveyer, L., Luiza Turchetti-Maia, A., Horowitz, M., Hochner, B. & Zlotkin, E., 1 Apr 2013, In: Biochemical Journal. 451, 1, p. 81-90 10 p.
Laetiporus sulphureus lectin and aerolysin protein family, Mancheño, J. M., Tateno, H., Sher, D. & Goldstein, I. J., 2010, Proteins: Membrane Binding and Pore Formation. Anderluh, G. & Lakey, J. (eds.). p. 67-80 14 p. (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology; vol. 677).
A pharmacological solution for a conspecific conflict: ROS-mediated territorial aggression in sea anemones, Bartosz, G., Finkelshtein, A., Przygodzki, T., Bsor, T., Nesher, N., Sher, D. & Zlotkin, E., May 2008, In: Toxicon. 51, 6, p. 1038-1050 13 p.
The evolutionary origin of the Runx/CBFbeta transcription factors - Studies of the most basal metazoans, Sullivan, J. C., Sher, D., Eisenstein, M., Shigesada, K., Reitzel, A. M., Marlow, H., Levanon, D., Groner, Y., Finnerty, J. R. & Gat, U., 2008, In: BMC Evolutionary Biology. 8, 1, 228.
Osmotically driven prey disintegration in the gastrovascular cavity of the green hydra by a pore-forming protein, Sher, D., Fishman, Y., Melamed-Book, N., Zhang, M. & Zlotkin, E., Jan 2008, In: FASEB Journal. 22, 1, p. 207-214 8 p.
Hydralysins, a new category of β-pore-forming toxins in cnidaria, Sher, D., Fishman, Y., Zhang, M., Lebendiker, M., Gaathon, A., Mancheño, J. M. & Zlotkin, E., 17 Jun 2005, In: Journal of Biological Chemistry. 280, 24, p. 22847-22855 9 p.
Toxic polypeptides of the hydra - A bioinformatic approach to cnidarian allomones, Sher, D., Knebel, A., Bsor, T., Nesher, N., Tal, T., Morgenstern, D., Cohen, E., Fishman, Y. & Zlotkin, E., 1 Jun 2005, In: Toxicon. 45, 7, p. 865-879 15 p.

Education▼

• B.Sc. magna cum laude in Biology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (1997-2000) • Ph.D. Summa cum Laude, Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2000-2008) Thesis: "Biological Role of a Non-Nematocystic Toxin in Cnidaria – An Exercise in Chemical Ecology" Mentor: Prof. Eliahu Zlotkin • Post-doctoral Fellow, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, MIT (2007-2010)

Research Areas▼

• Marine chemical ecology - how aquatic organisms communicate through chemistry • Chemical interactions between marine microorganisms and their ecological impacts • Toxins and chemical defenses in jellyfish, sea anemones, coral and hydra • Microbial chemical signaling in marine environments • Host-pathogen interactions and immune defense mechanisms in marine invertebrates • Discovery of novel bioactive compounds with biotechnological and pharmaceutical applications • Modeling marine communities and predicting ecosystem responses to environmental change • Integration of ecology, biochemistry, molecular biology, and computational approaches

Additional Info▼

Daniel is married, has three kids and a dog, and in his spare time loves hiking, cooking and photography.