About the Authors

Amit Savaya Alkalay

Affiliations Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel, French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Sede-Boqer, Israel

Ohad Rosen

Affiliation Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

Susanne H. Sokolow

Affiliation Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, United States of America

Yacinthe P. W. Faye

Affiliation Université Gaston Berger, Saint-Louis, Senegal

Djibril S. Faye

Affiliation University Cheikh Anta Diop, Fann, Dakar, Senegal

Eliahu D. Aflalo

Affiliation Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

Nicolas Jouanard

Affiliation Centre de Recherche Biomédicale Espoir Pour La Santé, Sor, Saint-Louis, Senegal

Dina Zilberg

Affiliation French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Sede-Boqer, Israel

Elizabeth Huttinger

Affiliation The 20|20 Initiative, Pasadena, California, United States of America

Amir Sagi

sagia@bgu.ac.il

Affiliation Department of Life Sciences and the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Conceived and designed the experiments: ASA OR SHS YPWF EDA NJ AS. Performed the experiments: ASA OR YPWF DSF EDA. Analyzed the data: ASA OR SHS YPWF EDA NJ AS. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: ASA OR SHS EDA NJ DZ EH AS. Wrote the paper: ASA OR SHS EH AS.