אילנה ברמן-פרנק - בית הספר למדעי הים ע"ש ליאון צ'רני

About▼

Prof. Ilana Berman-Frank is a leading researcher in biological oceanography and Director of the Mediterranean Sea Research Center of Israel. She heads the Aquatic Ecology and Biological Oceanography Laboratory, focusing on how global changes and environmental stressors shape marine ecosystems. Her research explores critical processes such as marine nitrogen fixation and carbon cycling, and their impact on plankton—the foundation of aquatic food webs. Studies span from Lake Kinneret to the Mediterranean and Red Seas and the South Pacific Ocean. She initiated and established the first deep-water mooring station in the Levantine Basin (DeepLev) and serves as Co-Chair of GAP and Section Editor for leading international journals. In addition, she actively promotes marine policy in Israel and fosters global collaborations for ocean sustainability.

Publications▼

Primary productivity coupled to oxic methane production in coastal waters of southern China, Rao, Y., Gao, G., Bizic, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Gao, K., Jul 2026, In: Limnology and Oceanography Letters. 11, 4, e70135.
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.
Urea provides an important nitrogen source for microbial populations in an ultraoligotrophic sea, Blachinsky, A., Ben Ezra, T., Gozali, S., Tsemel, A., Tchernov, D., Altabet, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Krom, M. D., Jun 2026, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 71, 6, e70408.
Nepheloid layers impact on C:N ratio of settling organic particles in an ultraoligotrophic sea, Alkalay, R., Weinstein, Y., Herut, B., Berman-Frank, I. & Katz, T., May 2026, In: Marine Chemistry. 276, 104624.
Does oligotrophy favor chemoautotrophy over photoautotrophy?, Reich, T., Belkin, N., Sisma-Ventura, G., Hauzer, H., Berman-Frank, I. & Rahav, E., Jan 2026, In: Progress in Oceanography. 241, 103633.
Microbial-mediated recycling constrains the contribution of primary production to export flux in an oligotrophic system, Bar, T., Alkalay, R., Soukhanov, M., Belkin, N., Lehahn, Y., Weinstein, Y., Katz, T., Herut, B., Rahav, E. & Berman-Frank, I., Jan 2026, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 71, 1, e70309.
Impact of diazotrophs on marine food webs and the biological carbon pump: progress and remaining challenges, Bonnet, S., Berthelot, H. & Berman-Frank, I., 1 Jan 2026, In: ISME Journal. 20, 1, wraf291.
Contribution of dark inorganic carbon fixation to bacterial carbon demand in the oligotrophic Southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Reich, T., Belkin, N., Sisma-Ventura, G., Hauzer, H., Rubin-Blum, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Rahav, E., 19 Nov 2025, In: Ocean Science. 21, 6, p. 3055-3067 13 p.
Editorial: Hydrothermal and submarine volcanic activity: impacts on ocean chemistry and plankton dynamics, Bonnet, S., Guieu, C., Berman-Frank, I., Capone, D. G., Fitzsimmons, J. N. & Resing, J. A., 2025, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 16, 1703123.
Light-dependent methane production by a coccolithophorid may counteract its photosynthetic contribution to carbon dioxide sequestration, Rao, Y., Gao, G., Berman-Frank, I., Bizic, M. & Gao, K., Dec 2024, In: Communications Earth and Environment. 5, 1, 695.
Interannual changes in nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea (EMS) predict the consequences of climate change; results from the Sdot-Yam Time-series station 2018–2022, Ben Ezra, T., Blachinsky, A., Gozali, S., Tsemel, A., Fadida, Y., Tchernov, D., Lehahn, Y., Tsagaraki, T. M., Berman-Frank, I. & Krom, M., Nov 2024, In: Deep-Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers. 213, 104403.
Determining the Fluxes and Relative Importance of Different External Sources and Sinks of Nitrogen to the Israeli Coastal Shelf, a Potentially Vulnerable Ecosystem, Ben Ezra, T., Tsemel, A., Suari, Y., Berman-Frank, I., Tchernov, D. & Krom, M. D., Sep 2024, In: Water (Switzerland). 16, 18, 2585.
Multiyear surface wave dataset from the subsurface "deepLev" eastern Levantine moored station, Haim, N., Grigorieva, V., Soffer, R., Mayzel, B., Katz, T., Alkalay, R., Biton, E., Lazar, A., Gildor, H., Berman-Frank, I., Weinstein, Y., Herut, B. & Toledo, Y., 4 Jun 2024, In: Earth System Science Data. 16, 6, p. 2659-2668 10 p.
Temporal Pattern and Profile of a Coastal-Deep Sea Conveyor at a Marginal Deep Oligotrophic Sea, Alkalay, R., Weinstein, Y., Herut, B., Ozer, T., Zlatkin, O., Bar, T., Berman-Frank, I. & Katz, T., Jun 2024, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Oceans. 129, 6, e2023JC020441.
Significant dark inorganic carbon fixation in the euphotic zone of an oligotrophic sea, Reich, T., Belkin, N., Sisma-Ventura, G., Berman-Frank, I. & Rahav, E., May 2024, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 69, 5, p. 1129-1142 14 p.
Correlation of methane production with physiological traits in Trichodesmium IMS 101 grown with methylphosphonate at different temperatures, Zou, C., Yi, X., Li, H., Bizic, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Gao, K., 2024, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 15, 1396369.
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.
Kocuria flava, a Bacterial Endophyte of the Marine Macroalga Bryopsis plumosa, Emits 8-Nonenoic Acid Which Inhibits the Aquaculture Pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica, Deutsch, Y., Samara, M., Nasser, A., Berman-Frank, I. & Ezra, D., Sep 2023, In: Marine Drugs. 21, 9, 476.
Global oceanic diazotroph database version 2 and elevated estimate of global oceanic N2 fixation, Shao, Z., Xu, Y., Wang, H., Luo, W., Wang, L., Huang, Y., Nona Sheila, R. A., Ahmed, A., Benavides, M., Bentzon-Tilia, M., Berman-Frank, I., Berthelot, H., Biegala, I. C., Bif, M. B., Bode, A., Bonnet, S., Bronk, D. A., Brown, M. V., Campbell, L. & Capone, D. G. & 77 others, Carpenter, E. J., Cassar, N., Chang, B. X., Chappell, D., Yuh-Ling, L. C., Church, M. J., Cornejo-Castillo, F. M., Sacilotto Detoni, A. M., Doney, S. C., Dupouy, C., Estrada, M., Fernandez, C., Fernández-Castro, B., Fonseca-Batista, D., Foster, R. A., Furuya, K., Garcia, N., Goto, K., Gago, J., Gradoville, M. R., Hamersley, M. R., Henke, B. A., Hörstmann, C., Jayakumar, A., Jiang, Z., Kao, S. J., Karl, D. M., Kittu, L. R., Knapp, A. N., Kumar, S., LaRoche, J., Liu, H., Liu, J., Lory, C., Löscher, C. R., Marañón, E., Messer, L. F., Mills, M. M., Mohr, W., Moisander, P. H., Mahaffey, C., Moore, R., Mouriño-Carballido, B., Mulholland, M. R., Shin-Ichiro, N., Needoba, J. A., Raes, E. J., Rahav, E., Ramírez-Cárdenas, T., Reeder, C. F., Riemann, L., Riou, V., Robidart, J. C., Sarma, V. V. S. S., Sato, T., Saxena, H., Selden, C., Seymour, J. R., Shi, D., Shiozaki, T., Singh, A., Sipler, R. E., Sun, J., Suzuki, K., Takahashi, K., Tan, Y., Tang, W., Tremblay, J. É., Turk-Kubo, K., Wen, Z., White, A. E., Wilson, S. T., Yoshida, T., Zehr, J. P., Zhang, R., Zhang, Y. & Luo, Y. W., 15 Aug 2023, In: Earth System Science Data. 15, 8, p. 3673-3709 37 p.
Temporal and vertical dynamics of diatoms and dinoflagellates in the southeastern Mediterranean Sea, Rahav, E. & Berman-Frank, I., 1 Jul 2023, In: Journal of Plankton Research. 45, 4, p. 614-624 11 p.
Contribution of photic and aphotic N2 fixation to production in an oligotrophic sea, Landou, E., Lazar, B., LaRoche, J., Fennel, K. & Berman-Frank, I., Mar 2023, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 68, 3, p. 692-708 17 p.
Re-introduction of a bioactive bacterial endophyte back to its seaweed (Ulva sp.) host, influences the host’s microbiome, Deutsch, Y., Ofek-Lalzar, M., Borenstein, M., Berman-Frank, I. & Ezra, D., 2023, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 10, 1099478.
Diazotrophs are overlooked contributors to carbon and nitrogen export to the deep ocean, Bonnet, S., Benavides, M., Le Moigne, F. A. C., Camps, M., Torremocha, A., Grosso, O., Dimier, C., Spungin, D., Berman-Frank, I., Garczarek, L. & Cornejo-Castillo, F. M., Jan 2023, In: ISME Journal. 17, 1, p. 47-58 12 p.
Trichodesmium erythraeum produces a higher photocurrent than other cyanobacterial species in bio-photo electrochemical cells, Shlosberg, Y., Spungin, D., Schuster, G., Berman-Frank, I. & Adir, N., 1 Nov 2022, In: Biochimica et Biophysica Acta - Bioenergetics. 1863, 8, p. 148910 148910.
Sinking Trichodesmium fixes nitrogen in the dark ocean, Benavides, M., Bonnet, S., Le Moigne, F. A. C., Armin, G., Inomura, K., Hallstrøm, S., Riemann, L., Berman-Frank, I., Poletti, E., Garel, M., Grosso, O., Leblanc, K., Guigue, C., Tedetti, M. & Dupouy, C., Oct 2022, In: ISME Journal. 16, 10, p. 2398-2405 8 p.
Recommendations for Plankton Measurements on OceanSITES Moorings With Relevance to Other Observing Sites, Boss, E., Waite, A. M., Karstensen, J., Trull, T., Muller-Karger, F., Sosik, H. M., Uitz, J., Acinas, S. G., Fennel, K., Berman-Frank, I., Thomalla, S., Yamazaki, H., Batten, S., Gregori, G., Richardson, A. J. & Wanninkhof, R., 22 Jul 2022, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 9, 929436.
Metagenomes of Red Sea Subpopulations Challenge the Use of Marker Genes and Morphology to Assess Trichodesmium Diversity, Koedooder, C., Landou, E., Zhang, F., Wang, S., Basu, S., Berman-Frank, I., Shaked, Y. & Rubin-Blum, M., 30 May 2022, In: Frontiers in Microbiology. 13, p. 879970 879970.
Assessing the contribution of diazotrophs to microbial Fe uptake using a group specific approach in the Western Tropical South Pacific Ocean, Lory, C., Van Wambeke, F., Fourquez, M., Barani, A., Guieu, C., Tilliette, C., Marie, D., Nunige, S., Berman-Frank, I. & Bonnet, S., 27 Apr 2022, In: ISME Communications. 2, 1, 11 p., 41.
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.
Heterotrophic bacteria outcompete diazotrophs for orthophosphate in the Mediterranean Sea, Rahav, E., Herut, B., Spungin, D., Levi, A., Mulholland, M. R. & Berman-Frank, I., Jan 2022, In: Limnology and Oceanography. 67, 1, p. 159-171 13 p.
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.
Single-Turnover Variable Chlorophyll Fluorescence as a Tool for Assessing Phytoplankton Photosynthesis and Primary Productivity: Opportunities, Caveats and Recommendations, Schuback, N., Tortell, P. D., Berman-Frank, I., Campbell, D. A., Ciotti, A., Courtecuisse, E., Erickson, Z. K., Fujiki, T., Halsey, K., Hickman, A. E., Huot, Y., Gorbunov, M. Y., Hughes, D. J., Kolber, Z. S., Moore, C. M., Oxborough, K., Prášil, O., Robinson, C. M., Ryan-Keogh, T. J. & Silsbe, G. & 4 others, Simis, S., Suggett, D. J., Thomalla, S. & Varkey, D. R., 14 Jul 2021, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 8, 690607.
Endophytes From Algae, a Potential Source for New Biologically Active Metabolites for Disease Management in Aquaculture, Deutsch, Y., Gur, L., Berman Frank, I. & Ezra, D., 13 Apr 2021, In: Frontiers in Marine Science. 8, 636636.
Fine-scale sampling unveils diazotroph patchiness in the South Pacific Ocean, Benavides, M., Conradt, L., Bonnet, S., Berman-Frank, I., Barrillon, S., Petrenko, A. & Doglioli, A., 25 Mar 2021, In: ISME Communications. 1, 1
The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, University of Haifa, Israel, Berman-Frank, I., Aug 2019, In: Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 28, 3, p. 96-98 3 p.
Assessment of metacaspase activity in phytoplankton, Spungin, D. & Berman-Frank, I., 2019, In: Bio-protocol. 9, 16, e3341.
Beyond Chlorophyll Fluorescence: The Time is Right to Expand Biological Measurements in Ocean Observing Programs, Boss, E., Waite, A., Muller-Karger, F., Yamazaki, H., Wanninkhof, R., Uitz, J., Thomalla, S., Sosik, H., Sloyan, B., Richardson, A., Miloslavich, P., Karstensen, J., Grégori, G., Fennel, K., Claustre, H., Cornejo, M., Berman-Frank, I., Batten, S. & Acinas, S., 2018, In: Limnology and Oceanography Bulletin. 27, 3, p. 89-90 2 p.
Dynamics of N2 fixation and fate of diazotroph-derived nitrogen in a low-nutrient, low-chlorophyll ecosystem: Results from the VAHINE mesocosm experiment (New Caledonia), Bonnet, S., Berthelot, H., Turk-Kubo, K., Fawcett, S., Rahav, E., L'Helguen, S. & Berman-Frank, I., 4 May 2016, In: Biogeosciences. 13, 9, p. 2653-2673 21 p.
Characterization of microbial communities in water and biofilms along a large scale SWRO desalination facility: Site-specific prerequisite for biofouling treatments, Levi, A., Bar-Zeev, E., Elifantz, H., Berman, T. & Berman-Frank, I., 15 Jan 2016, In: Desalination. 378, p. 44-52 9 p.
Impact of ocean acidification on the structure of future phytoplankton communities, Dutkiewicz, S., Morris, J. J., Follows, M. J., Scott, J., Levitan, O., Dyhrman, S. T. & Berman-Frank, I., 1 Nov 2015, In: Nature Climate Change. 5, 11, p. 1002-1006 5 p.
Enhanced salinities, as a proxy of seawater desalination discharges, impact coastal microbial communities of the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Belkin, N., Rahav, E., Elifantz, H., Kress, N. & Berman-Frank, I., 1 Oct 2015, In: Environmental Microbiology. 17, 10, p. 4105-4120 16 p.
הוד הים: יציבות ושינוי במערכות הימיות של ישראל, Stambler, N. (Editor), LOTAN, T. (Editor), GOODMAN TCHERNOV, B. N. (Editor) & BERMAN FRANK, I., 2014, ישראל: העמותה הישראלית למדעי הימים. 584 p.
Past, present and future patterns in the nutrient chemistry of the eastern mediterranean, Krom, M., Kress, N., Berman-Frank, I. & Rahav, E., 1 Jan 2014, The Mediterranean Sea: Its History and Present Challenges. Springer, p. 49-68 20 p.
Uncoupling between dinitrogen fixation and primary productivity in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, Rahav, E., Herut, B., Stambler, N., Bar-Zeev, E., Mulholland, M. R. & Berman-Frank, I., 1 Mar 2013, In: Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences. 118, 1, p. 195-202 8 p.
Combined effects of CO2 and light on the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium IMS101: A mechanistic view, Levitan, O., Kranz, S. A., Spungin, D., Prášil, O., Rost, B. & Berman-Frank, I., Sep 2010, In: Plant Physiology. 154, 1, p. 346-356 11 p.
TEP - גורם חשוב בפיתוח של אילוח ביולוגי (Biofilm) במערכות מימיות, ⁨ברמן, ט.⁩, ⁨מזרחי, ר.⁩, ⁨דוזורץ, ק.⁩, ⁨בר-זאב, ע.⁩ & ⁨ברמן-פרנק, א.⁩, 2010, In: אגמית המים בארצנו. חדשות הכנרת, p. 28-31 4 p.
Traffic lights in Trichodesmium. Regulation of photosynthesis for nitrogen fixation studied by chlorophyll fluorescence kinetic microscopy, Küpper, H., Ferimazova, N., Šetlík, I. & Berman-Frank, I., Aug 2004, In: Plant Physiology. 135, 4, p. 2120-2133 14 p.
Evolution of nitrogen fixation [3] (multiple letters), Towe, K. M., Berman-Frank, I. & Falscowki, P., 1 Feb 2002, In: Science. 295, 5556, p. 798-799 2 p.
Segregation of nitrogen fixation and oxygenic photosynthesis in the marine cyanobacterium Trichodesmium, Berman-Frank, I., Lundgren, P., Chen, Y. B., Küpper, H., Kolber, Z., Bergman, B. & Falkowski, P., 16 Nov 2001, In: Science. 294, 5546, p. 1534-1537 4 p.
Inorganic carbon availability for dinoflagellate photosynthesis in Lake Kinneret, Berman-Frank, I., 1995, Ramat-Gan : Thesis (Ph.D.) - Bar-Ilan University, Dept. of Life Sciences.

Education▼

B.Sc. Biology and Ecology – University of California, Irvine Ph.D. Ecology and Limnology – Bar Ilan University & IOLR Postdoctoral – Hebrew University of Jerusalem Postdoctoral – Rutgers University, USA

Academic Background▼

Prof. Berman-Frank has over 30 years of experience in aquatic and marine research. Her career began with studies on freshwater dinoflagellates and evolved to oceanic systems and nitrogen fixation in the Levantine Basin. She founded and led the Aquatic Ecology and Biological Oceanography Laboratory at Bar Ilan University for more than 15 years before moving to the University of Haifa in 2018. She has served as principal investigator for large interdisciplinary projects, published hundreds of papers in leading scientific journals, and mentors graduate students at all levels. She also advises Israeli ministries on marine policy and plays a key role in bridging science and decision-making.

Research Areas▼

Aquatic Microbial Ecology
Marine Nitrogen Fixation
Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles
Climate Change Impacts on Marine Microorganisms
Biogeochemical Processes
Desalination Impacts on Coastal Systems

Prof. Ilana Berman Frank

About▼

Publications▼

Education▼

Academic Background▼

Research Areas▼