Scienceאבישג זהבי

Avishag Zahavi

Avishag Zahavi was an Israeli botanist and professor of plant physiology at the Volcani Center, known for developing the handicap principle with her husband Amotz Zahavi.

1922 to 2021The handicap principleResearch on light and plant developmentField studies of babblers

Died: 31 October 2021
Occupation: botanist
Education: Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Avishag Zahavi was born in 1922 in Haifa

Avishag Kadman was born in Haifa in 1922. Her parents were Shlomit, a physician, and Leo Kadman. She married Rudi Hirsch in 1943.

She studied biology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where she met Amotz Zahavi. The two married in 1954 and had two daughters.

She became a professor of plant physiology at the Volcani Center in Beit Dagan. Her own research dealt with how light affects plant development, including photoperiodism and phytochrome. With her husband she studied babblers in the field and helped develop his ideas, including the handicap principle, a sociobiological approach to natural selection.

After retiring, she continued research at the Yair Center for Agricultural Research in Hatzeva. She died on 31 October 2021 and was buried beside her husband in Hatzeva, where they had lived.