Avishag Zahavi

Avishag Kadman-Zahavi (Hebrew: אבישג זהבי; 1922 − 31 October 2021) was an Israeli professor emeritus of Plant Physiology at The Volcani Center for Agricultural Research, Beit Dagan, Israel.

She is best known for her close collaboration with her husband Amotz Zahavi, who developed together with her the so-called Handicap principle, a sociobiological approach to the theory of natural selection.

A lifelong naturalist, Avishag Kadman met Amotz Zahavi at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem during their studies in the field of biology and married him in 1954.

Since then, besides following her own field of research, she has collaborated with Amotz in the study of the babblers and in the development of his ideas, often serving as the "devil's advocate".

Her research interests are basic and applied aspects of the effects of light on plant development (photoperiodism, phytochrome, photomorphogenesis).