2011 PhD in Animal Ecology, Lund University, Sweden.
2005 Master of Science in Biology, Göteborg University, Sweden
2014- Host plant choice and phenotypic plasticity in Spodoptera littoralis
Spodoptera littoralis is an invasive crop pest moth, currently spreading from Africa to Southern Europe but which seems to be limited from further Northern dispersal by low winter temperatures. S. littoralis is an extreme generalist and previous research here at SLU Alnarp has revealed that adults rely on larval experience for making host plant choice when looking for ovipositing sites or for a partner. I’m studying both the costs and benefits with using larval experience during adult host plant choice as well as differences between core (within Africa) and range margin (Southern Europe) in plasticity. By comparing decision making during host plant choice, immune function and temperature tolerance between different wild populations I am asking whether plasticity is more or less pronounced in the newer populations, and whether a potential differences occurs only in one or all traits. This work is performed in collaboration with Peter Anderson. I am currently funded by an INCA grant from the Swedish Research Council and Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions, FP7.
2012- Multitrophic interactions in a metapopulation system
During my postdoc at Helsinki University, Finland, I studied the effects of mildew (Podosphaera plantaginis) presence on the leaves of ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) has on the Glanville fritillary butterfly (Melitaea cinxia) and one of its parasitoids: (Cotesia melitaearum). These species cohabit in a metapopulation community in the Åland Islands and we took the natural population history of mildew infection into account when studying if and how butterflies and parasitoids were affected by butterfly larvae feeding on mildew infected host plants.
2005-2011 Sexual selection and sexual conflict in diving beetles (Dytiscidae) and the freshwater isopod Asellus aquaticus
During my PhD studies I studied sexual conflict and sexually antagonistic co-evolution between male suction cups and rough structures on female elytra in diving beetles as well as parallel evolution of mating strategies during ecotype divergence in Asellus aquaticus. I was also involved in studies on behavioural syndromes in the two isopd ecotypes.
Karlsson Green, K., Eroukhmanoff, F., Harris, S., Pettersson, L.B and Svensson, E.I. 2016. Rapid changes in genetic architecture of behavioural syndromes following colonisation of a novel environment. J Evol Biol (29):144-152 doi: 10.1111/jeb.12769
Lankinen, Å. and Karlsson Green, K. 2015. Using theories of sexual selection and sexual conflict to improve our understanding of plant ecology and evolution. AoB PLANTS doi: 10.1093/aobpla/plv008
Karlsson Green, K., Svensson, E.I., Bergsten, J., Härdling, R. and Hansson, B. 2014. The interplay between local ecology, divergent selection and genetic drift in population divergence of a sexually antagonistic female trait. Evolution 68(7): 1934-46.
Karlsson Green, K., Kovalev, A., Svensson, E.I. and Gorb, S.N. 2013. Male clasping ability, female polymorphism and sexual conflict: fine-scale elytral morphology as a sexual antagonistic adaptation in female diving beetles. Journal of the Royal Society Interface 10(86): 1-10.
Harris, S., Karlsson Green, K. and Pettersson, L. 2013. Predator faunas past and present: quantifying the influence of waterborne cues in divergent ecotypes of the isopod Asellus aquaticus. Oecologia 173(3): 791-799