Curriculum Vitae: Tom O. Nilsen
Postdoctoral Fellow
Education
2007: Ph.D. University of Bergen, Department of Biology
2002: M.S. University of Bergen, Department of Fisheries and Marine Biology
1999: B.S. Sogndal College, Norway (Aquaculture biology)
Professional Experience
2008–present: Postdoctoral fellow, University of Bergen, Department of Biology
1999-2000: Aquaculture Industry, Production of Out of Season Smolts
1994-1996: Aquaculture Industry, Broodstock, Egg and Smolt Production
Research Interests
Knowledge about fish biology and ecology in relation to environmental conditions is crucial for aquaculture, welfare and natural conservation. Atlantic salmon go through several important developmental changes during their life cycle, perhaps one of the most important being the parr-smolt transformation (smoltification), a process that entails morphological, physiological and behavioural changes that prepare the juvenile salmon for life in seawater. Salmon farming during the recent years has become a highly industrialized and season independent production with high-throughput, reduced generation time, rapid development and high densities to meet the requirements of improved cost effectiveness and year-round supply of fish. Heated water and photoperiod control, with extensive use of constant light, are used to accelerate growth and development for successful season independent smolt production and seawater transfer. This has led to increasing concerns by producers and regulatory authorities that the increasingly intensive rearing conditions may reduce smolt quality and subsequent post-smolt performance. Thus, knowledge about the mechanisms for environmental influence on critical events of development in fish will increase our understanding of the biology of different species of fishes in their natural environment and allow further optimization of rearing conditions. My research interests mainly focus on the development of seawater tolerance, how this process is regulated and influenced by changes in the environment (i.e. photoperiod, temperature, different water qualities) during smoltification.
Publications
Nilsen, T.O., Ebbesson, L.O.E., Kiilerich,P., Björnsson,
B.Th., Madsen, S.S., McCormick, S.D. and Stefansson, S.O. 2008. Endocrine systems in juvenile
anadromous and landlocked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). General and Comparative Endocrinology 155: 762-772 [pdf]
Tipsmark, C.K., Kiilerich, P., Nilsen, T.O., Ebbesson, L.O.E., Stefansson, S.O., Madsen, S.S. (2008). Branchial Expression Patterns of Claudin Isoforms in Atlantic Salmon During Seawater Acclimation and Smoltification. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 294, R1563-R1574. [pdf]
Nilsen, T.O., Ebbesson, L.O.E., Stefansson, S.O., Madsen,S.S., McCormick, S.D., Andersson, E., Bjornsson, B.Th. and Prunet, P. 2007. Differential expression of gill Na+/K+-ATPase α- and ß-subunits, Na2+/K+/2Cl- cotransporter and CFTR anion channel in juvenile anadromous and landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Journal of Experimental Biology 2007 210: 2885-2896 [pdf]
Stefansson, S.O, Nilsen, T.O., Ebbesson, L.O.E., Wargelius, A., Madsen, S.S., Björnsson, B.Th., McCormick, S.D., (2007). Molecular mechanisms of continuous-light inhibition of Atlantic salmon parr-smolt transformation. Aquaculture 273, 235-245.[pdf]
Ebbesson, L.O.E., Ebbesson, S.O.E., Nilsen, T.O., Stefansson, S.O., Holmqvist, B., (2007). Exposure to continuous light disrupts retinal innervation of the preoptic nucleus during parr-smolt transformation in salmon. Aquaculture 273, 345-349. [pdf]
Kroglund, F., Finstad, B., Stefansson, S.O., Nilsen, T.O., Kristensen, T. Rosseland, B.O., Teien, H.C., Salbu, B., (2007). Exposure to moderate acid water and aluminum reduces Atlantic salmon postsmolt survival. Aquaculture 273, 360-373. [pdf] Finstad, B., Kroglund, F., Strand, R., Stefansson, S.O., Bjørn, P.A., Rosseland, B.O., Nilsen, T.O., Salbu, B., (2007). Salmon lice or suboptimal water quality – reasons for reduced postsmolt survival? Aquaculture 273, 374-383. [pdf] Rønnestad, I., Gavaia, P.J., Viegas, C.S.B., Verri, T., Romano, A., Nilsen, T.O., Jordal, A.J., Kamisaka, Y., Cancela, M.L., (2007). Oligopeptide transporter PepT1 in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.): cloning, tissue expression and comparative aspects. The Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 3883-3896. [pdf] Ebbesson, L.O.E., Tipsmark, C.K., Holmqvist, B., Nilsen, T.O., Stefansson, S.O., Madsen, S.S., (2005). Nitric oxide producing cells in the gill of Atlantic salmon and their inhibition of Na+,K+-ATPase activity. The Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 1011-1017. [pdf] Olsvik, P. A., Lie, K. K., Jordal, A. E. O., Nilsen, T.O., Hordvik, I., (2005). Evaluation of potential reference genes in real-time RT-PCR studies of Atlantic salmon. Bmc Molecular Biology 6:21, 1-9. [pdf] Nilsen, T.O., Ebbesson, L.O.E., Stefansson, S. O., 2003. Smolting in anadromous and landlocked strains of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Aquaculture 222, 71-82. [pdf]
Stefansson, S.O., Bjerknes, V., Bjørn, P.A., Bæverfjord, G., Finn, R.N., Finstad, B., Fivelstad, S., Handeland, S.O., Hosfeld, C.D., Kristensen, T., Kroglund, K., Nilsen, T.O., Rosseland, B.O., Rosten, T., Salbu, B., Teien, H.C., Toften, H., Åtland, Å. (2007). Fysiologiske egenskaper ved rogn, yngel og smolt. In: Bjerknes, V. (ed), Vannkvalitet og smoltproduksjon: Juul forlag 2007. ISBN 978-82-8090-018-0. s. 94-123. (in Norwegian).
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