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Urmas Kõljalg

Urmas Kõljalg

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Ecology and Evolution
Estonia
2026

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
65
Citations
40272
World Ranking
1732
National Ranking
5

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2026 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Estonia Leader Award
  • 2025 - Research.com Ecology and Evolution in Estonia Leader Award

Overview

Urmas Kõljalg is affiliated with the University of Tartu in Estonia. Their research focuses primarily on the fields of Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Environmental Science, and Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology. The work spans several subfields including Plant Science, Ecology, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics, Molecular Biology, and Ecological Modeling.

The main research topics covered by Kõljalg include:

  • Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Interactions
  • Species Distribution and Climate Change
  • Environmental DNA in Biodiversity Studies
  • Genomics and Phylogenetic Studies
  • Lichen and Fungal Ecology
  • Plant Pathogens and Fungal Diseases
  • Forest Ecology and Biodiversity Studies

Recent publications associated with Kõljalg reflect a focus on fungal taxonomy, biodiversity, and ecological research. These include:

  • The UNITE database for molecular identification and taxonomic communication of fungi and other eukaryotes: sequences, taxa and classifications reconsidered (2023, Nucleic Acids Research)
  • The Taxon Hypothesis Paradigm-On the Unambiguous Detection and Communication of Taxa (2020, Microorganisms)
  • Temperature and pH define the realised niche space of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (2021, New Phytologist)
  • Regional-Scale In-Depth Analysis of Soil Fungal Diversity Reveals Strong pH and Plant Species Effects in Northern Europe (2020, Frontiers in Microbiology)
  • Structure and function of the soil microbiome underlying N2O emissions from global wetlands (2022, Nature Communications)

Several frequent co-authors appear alongside Kõljalg, indicating collaborative research efforts in fungal ecology and related areas. These co-authors include:

  • Kessy Abarenkov
  • Leho Tedersoo
  • R. Henrik Nilsson
  • Vladimir Mikryukov
  • Sten Anslan

Publication venues hosting Kõljalg's work show a concentration in biodiversity and fungal systematics, with multiple contributions to:

  • Biodiversity Information Science and Standards
  • Research Ideas and Outcomes
  • Fungal Systematics and Evolution
  • Fungal Diversity
  • Nucleic Acids Research

Best Publications

  • Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as a universal DNA barcode marker for Fungi

    Conrad L. Schoch;Keith A. Seifert;Sabine Huhndorf;Vincent Robert

  • Towards a unified paradigm for sequence-based identification of fungi

    Urmas Koljalg;Urmas Koljalg;R. Henrik Nilsson;Kessy Abarenkov;Leho Tedersoo

  • Global diversity and geography of soil fungi

    Leho Tedersoo;Mohammad Bahram;Sergei Põlme;Urmas Kõljalg

  • The UNITE database for molecular identification of fungi: handling dark taxa and parallel taxonomic classifications.

    Rolf Henrik Nilsson;Karl Henrik Larsson;Andy F.S. Taylor;Johan Bengtsson-Palme;Johan Bengtsson-Palme

  • A higher-level phylogenetic classification of the Fungi

    David S Hibbett;Manfred Binder;Joseph F Bischoff;Meredith Blackwell

  • The UNITE database for molecular identification of fungi - recent updates and future perspectives

    Kessy Abarenkov;R. Henrik Nilsson;R. Henrik Nilsson;Karl‐Henrik Larsson;Ian J. Alexander

  • UNITE: a database providing web-based methods for the molecular identification of ectomycorrhizal fungi

    Urmas Kõljalg;Karl-Henrik Larsson;Kessy Abarenkov;R. Henrik Nilsson

  • FungalTraits: a user-friendly traits database of fungi and fungus-like stramenopiles

    Sergei Põlme;Sergei Põlme;Kessy Abarenkov;R. Henrik Nilsson;Björn D. Lindahl

  • Fungal community analysis by high-throughput sequencing of amplified markers - a user's guide

    Björn D. Lindahl;R. Henrik Nilsson;Leho Tedersoo;Kessy Abarenkov

  • Taxonomic reliability of DNA sequences in public sequence databases: a fungal perspective.

    R. Henrik Nilsson;Martin Ryberg;Erik Kristiansson;Kessy Abarenkov

  • High-level classification of the Fungi and a tool for evolutionary ecological analyses

    Leho Tedersoo;Leho Tedersoo;Leho Tedersoo;Santiago Sánchez-Ramírez;Urmas Kõljalg;Urmas Kõljalg;Mohammad Bahram;Mohammad Bahram

  • 454 Pyrosequencing and Sanger sequencing of tropical mycorrhizal fungi provide similar results but reveal substantial methodological biases

    Leho Tedersoo;Leho Tedersoo;R. Henrik Nilsson;R. Henrik Nilsson;Kessy Abarenkov;Teele Jairus

  • Shotgun metagenomes and multiple primer pair-barcode combinations of amplicons reveal biases in metabarcoding analyses of fungi

    Leho Tedersoo;Sten Anslan;Mohammad Bahram;Sergei Põlme

  • Strong host preference of ectomycorrhizal fungi in a Tasmanian wet sclerophyll forest as revealed by DNA barcoding and taxon‐specific primers

    Leho Tedersoo;Leho Tedersoo;Teele Jairus;Teele Jairus;Bryony M. Horton;Kessy Abarenkov

  • The Amsterdam Declaration on Fungal Nomenclature

    David L. Hawksworth;David L. Hawksworth;Pedro W. Crous;Scott A. Redhead;Don R. Reynolds

  • Towards global patterns in the diversity and community structure of ectomycorrhizal fungi

    Leho Tedersoo;Leho Tedersoo;Mohammad Bahram;Märt Toots;Abdala G. Diédhiou

  • Fine scale distribution of ectomycorrhizal fungi and roots across substrate layers including coarse woody debris in a mixed forest

    Leho Tedersoo;Urmas Kõljalg;Nils Hallenberg;Karl‐Henrik Larsson

  • Finding needles in haystacks: Linking scientific names, reference specimens and molecular data for Fungi

    Conrad L. Schoch;Barbara Robbertse;Vincent Robert;Duong Vu

  • Bacteria, molds, and toxins in water-damaged building materials

    M A Andersson;M Nikulin;U Köljalg;M C Andersson

  • Regional and local patterns of ectomycorrhizal fungal diversity and community structure along an altitudinal gradient in the Hyrcanian forests of northern Iran.

    Mohammad Bahram;Sergei Põlme;Sergei Põlme;Urmas Kõljalg;Urmas Kõljalg;Shahin Zarre

Frequent Co-Authors

Leho Tedersoo
Leho Tedersoo University of Tartu
Mohammad Bahram
Mohammad Bahram Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
Karl-Henrik Larsson
Karl-Henrik Larsson University of Oslo
R. Henrik Nilsson
R. Henrik Nilsson University of Gothenburg
Andy F. S. Taylor
Andy F. S. Taylor University of Aberdeen
József Geml
József Geml Hungarian Academy of Sciences
Gareth W. Griffith
Gareth W. Griffith Aberystwyth University
Rasmus Kjøller
Rasmus Kjøller University of Copenhagen
Tom W. May
Tom W. May Royal Botanic Gardens
Matthew E. Smith
Matthew E. Smith University of Florida

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