About me
PhD student and insect-microbial-fungal enthusiast, interested in species interactions. In August 2015 I received Master of Science degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Helsinki University.
Group members: Ayco Tack (main supervisor), Pil Rasmussen (post-doc), Laura van Dijk (PhD student), Alvaro Gaytan (PhD student) and Ahmed Abdelfattah (post-doc).
Check the group page here: https://www.plantmicrobeinsect.com/
Co-supervisor of my PhD research is Peter Hambäck
Teaching
Course assistant at Ecology I in 2018 and 2019 (BSc level)
Other acitivities and outreach
1. Member of the Department communication group in 2018-2019. Check DEEP Twitter and homepage.
2. Information sheet on an insect, leaf miner Acrocercops brongniardella, attacking Swedish oaks every spring in recent years
Leaf miner (Acrocercops brongniardella) (534 Kb)
Research
Interactions between plants, microbes and insects on oak
The main aim of the current PhD project is to investigate the role of insect microbes (endosymbionts) and plant-based microbes (endophytes, pathogens) in understanding the spatial and temporal dynamics of the diverse insect and pathogen community on the oak tree Quercus robur. The specific aims of the project are:
- to understand if there is geographic variation in the endosymbiotic species associated with individual species of herbivore insects on oak;
- to understand if there is geographic variation in the endosymbiotic species associated with individual species of the parasitoid community on oak;
- to assess the impact of the microclimate on the pathogen communities on oak;
- to understand the role of cryptic mildew species, leaf endophytes and fungal hyperparasites in shaping the fungal community on the oaks (i.e., to describe species interactions, and the factors that shift the balance of these interactions).
Photo of the warming experiment run in 2017.
Here, we investigated the impact of experimental heating, tree genotype and their interaction on the spring and autumn phenology of the pedunculate oak Quercus robur, as well as the consequence for the dynamics of higher trophic levels.
Publications
A selection from Stockholm University publication database-
2020. Maria Faticov (et al.). Oikos 129 (3), 391-401
One of the best known ecological consequences of climate change is the advancement of spring phenology. Yet, we lack insights into how changes in climate interact with intraspecific genetic variation in shaping spring and autumn phenology, and how such changes in phenology will translate into seasonal dynamics of tree-associated organisms. To elucidate the impact of warming and tree genotype on spring and autumn phenology, as well as the consequences for the population dynamics of a fungal pathogen Erysiphe alphitoides and plant-feeding insect Tuberculatus annulatus, we conducted an active field heating experiment using grafts of five oak genotypes Quercus robur. We found that experimental warming generally advanced oak bud burst in spring and delayed leaf senescence in autumn, while additional variation was explained by tree genotype and warming-by-genotype interactions. Warming or tree genotype did not affect disease levels at the beginning of the season, but shaped both disease levels and aphid density during the latter part of the season. Overall, our findings demonstrate that elevated temperature and genetic variation affect spring and autumn phenology, as well as the seasonal dynamics of higher trophic levels. Such effects may be either direct (i.e. temperature affecting tree phenology and attack independently) or indirect (as due to climate-induced changes in plant traits or the synchrony between trees and their attackers). To achieve a predictive understanding of the ecological responses and potential evolutionary changes of natural food webs in response to climate warming, we should merge the frameworks of global warming and community genetics.