Karine Kleinhaus

Research Interests

​I study the reproductive physiology of corals, the environmental stressors that can disrupt coral reproduction, and aging and senescence in coral and other colonial animals. I am interested in the role of steroids in coral reproduction, and in the effects of rising ocean temperatures and pollutants on coral physiology and lifecycle. I conduct my studies on corals from the Gulf of Aqaba, which can withstand water temperature anomalies that cause severe bleaching in most corals around the world. I also explore how formal and informal diplomacy can support collaborative transnational scientific research and conservation. Previously, I focused on reproductive outcomes in humans. As a physician and researcher, I studied how acute maternal stress and stress hormone levels during pregnancy affect birth outcomes and the long-term health of offspring. I also studied the effects of advanced paternal age on reproduction. This background informs my coral research because certain aspects of reproduction and aging are highly conserved throughout evolution.

Selected Publications (full list available on my Google Scholar Profile)

Kleinhaus K, Al-Sawalmih A, Barshis DJ, Genin A, Grace LN, Hoegh-Guldberg O, Loya Y, Meibom A, Osman EO, Ruch J-D, Shaked Y, Voolstra CR, Zvuloni A and Fine M (2020) Science, Diplomacy, and the Red Sea’s Unique Coral Reef: It’s Time for Action. Front. Mar. Sci. 7:90. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2020.00090 https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.00090

Kleinhaus K, Harlap S, Perrin M, Manor O, Margalit-Calderon R, Opler M, Friedlander Y, Malaspina D. Prenatal stress and affective disorders in a population birth cohort. Bipolar Disord. 2013 Feb;15(1):92-9. doi:10.1111/bdi.12015. PubMed PMID: 23339677. https://doi.org/10.1111/bdi.12015

Torche F, Kleinhaus K. Prenatal stress, gestational age and secondary sex ratio: the sex-specific effects of exposure to a natural disaster in early pregnancy. Hum Reprod. 2012 Feb;27(2):558-67. PubMed PMID: 22157912; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3258031. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/der390

 Kleinhaus K, Steinfeld S, Balaban J, Goodman L, Craft TS, Malaspina D, Myers MM, Moore H. Effects of excessive glucocorticoid receptor stimulation during early gestation on psychomotor and social behavior in the rat. Dev Psychobiol. 2010 Mar;52(2):121-32. DOI: 10.1002/dev.20419. PubMed PMID: 20091810; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2855494. https://doi.org/10.1002/dev.20419

Kleinhaus K, Perrin M, Friedlander Y, Paltiel O, Malaspina D, Harlap S. Paternal age and spontaneous abortion. Obstet Gynecol. 2006 Aug;108(2):369-77. PubMed PMID: 16880308. DOI: 10.1097/01.AOG.0000224606.26514.3a

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