Kari Saikkonen
karisaik@utu.fi +358 40 668 3468 Vesilinnantie 5 Turku ORCID identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5203-9984 |
Education
Ph.D., University
of Turku, Finland, 1994
Previous work experience
Research professor, Natural Resources
Institute Finland, Luke, 2009 – 2018
Station Manager, Kevo Subarctic Research
Institute, University of Turku, 2007 – 2009
Research professor, MTT Agrifood Research
Finland, 2005 - 2007
Academy Research Fellow Post, Academy of
Finland, 2000 - 2005
Senior Researcher, University of Turku (funded
by Academy of Finland) 1997 – 2000
Post-doctoral research fellow, Department of Zoology,
Arizona State University, USA (funded by Maytag Foundation and Academy of
Finland), 1995 - 1997
My current research involves three main themes: (1) ecological
and evolutionary implications of genetic variation, species richness and
functional diversity of plants and associated
micro-fungi (incl. mycorrhizae, endophytes and pathogens) and herbivores, (2)
climate change -driven species’ range shifts, and (3) new solutions to
circumvent the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides in man-made environments.
- Variation and plasticity in Epichloë alkaloid content of Festuca rubra across EuropeThe recent northward expansion of Lymantria monacha in relation to realised changes in temperatures of different seasons (2020)
- Fungal EcologyForest Ecology and Management
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Effects of a glyphosate-based herbicide on soil animal trophic groups and associated ecosystem functioning in a northern agricultural field (2019)
- Scientific ReportsPlant and Soil
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Foraging preference of barnacle geese on endophytic tall and red fescues (2019)
- Human-Wildlife Interactions
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Glyphosate residues in soil affect crop plant germination and growth (2019)
- Scientific ReportsNature Plants
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Heritable Epichloe symbiosis shapes fungal but not bacterial communities of plant leaves (2019)
- Scientific Reports
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Impacts of experimental warming and northern light climate on growth and root fungal communities of Scots pine populations (2019)
- Fungal Ecology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Interactive effects of Epichloë fungal and host origins on the seed germination of Achnatherum inebriansAn asexual Epichloe endophyte enhances waterlogging tolerance of Hordeum brevisubulatum (2019)
- SymbiosisFungal Ecology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Local adaptation in natural European host grass populations with asymmetric symbiosis (2019)
- PLoS ONE
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Phenotypic and genetic variation in natural populations of Festuca rubra s.l. in Europe (2019)
- Plant Ecology and Diversity
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Postglacial colonization history reflects in the genetic structure of natural populations of Festuca rubra in Europe (2019)
- Ecology and Evolution
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Epichloë endophyte effects on leaf blotch pathogen (Rhynchosporium sp.) of tall fescue (Schedonorus phoenix) vary among grass origin and environmental conditions (2018)
- Plant Ecology and Diversity
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Glyphosate decreases mycorrhizal colonization and affects plant-soil feedback (2018)
- Science of the Total Environment
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2018)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Editorial special issue: soil, plants and endophytes (2016)
(B1 Non-refereed article in a scientific journal) - Endophytic Epichloe species and their grass hosts: from evolution to applications (2016)
- Plant Molecular Biology
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Epichloe grass endophytes in sustainable agriculture (2016)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Impact of Bacterial-Fungal Interactions on the Colonization of the Endosphere (2016)
- Trends in Plant Science
(A2 Refereed review article in a scientific journal ) - No effects of Epichloe endophyte infection on nitrogen cycling in meadow fescue (Schedonorus pratensis) grassland (2016)
- Plant and Soil
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - Preconditioning of the generalist herbivore Trialeurodes vaporariorum to greenhouse monocultures and its subsequent performance on wild polycultures (2016)
- Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal) - (2015)
(A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal)



