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Fernando Ayllon

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Researcher
Telephone: 97619648
Department: Populasjonsgenetikk

Curriculum Vitae

Earlier in my career, I focused on how individual variation gets ramped up to population dynamics and to evolutionary processes. Does individual variation matter or does it get averaged out once it gets scaled up to population levels or to evolutionary timescales? What is the relationship between variation and adaptation? The role of selection in the reproductive isolation of natural populations has been widely debated and some studies suggest that this evolutionary force can produce the kind of isolation that separates species in the wild. Most of my research activity was focused on the evolution in natural populations of salmonids and the exploration of the evolutionary and genetic processes that shape population structure and speciation of the Salmo genus. Generated knowledge greatly impacted broodstock management at the species southern limit distribution range.



Modern Population Genetics connected me experimentally to Molecular Genetics allowing me to investigate polymorphisms distribution at a molecular level. With the last advances in Genomics my present research interest has directed towards understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the maintenance and adaptive value of polymorphisms and its applications to the farming industry. My work at the University of Turku (Finland) focused on whole genome methylation patterns in sex chromosomes. The understanding on epigenetic processes that modulate gen dose and sex-specific gene expression will benefit further research lines involving triploid production or sterility genes in salmon. Later on, my work at The Institute of Marine Research - IMR (Norway) unravelled the genetic basis behind age at maturity in Atlantic salmon, generating the basis for several follow-up projects in my current research group. Likewise, the developed and implemented bioinformatic and statistical tools have set a standard for the group’s future publications. I also anticipate that these findings will impact the salmon farming industry by reducing the losses generated by early puberty in salmon.


Stepping up in the functional implications of the genetic variability, I am also involved in the implementation of state of the art gene editing technologies in order to elucidate the function of relevant genes. We are currently using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to induce genetic modifications through homology-directed repair in salmon embryos. This will improve the frequency of precise gene modifications and extent our knowledge in the function of genes related to aquaculture relevant traits. Other relevant projects I take part on include the production of Atlantic salmon double haploid males and the genetics basis of carotenoids metabolism that will ultimately benefit fish farming industry.


I gather a strong background in modern Genetics coming from almost twenty years experience in the fields of Cell Biology, Molecular Genetics, Genomics, Heavy-duty Bioinformatics as well as RNA and Gene expression studies. All my research has been published in peer reviewed international journals within the first quartile of multidisciplinary fields. I also have a proven expertise in multidisciplinary international projects as well as in continued collaboration with a wide variety of international researchers. Since I arrive to IMR, my multidisciplinary background, international profile and communication skills have served as pivot for collaboration not only with other scientists from my research group, but also with different groups and institutions.

Publications

Academic articles

2024

Regional and temporal variation in escape history of Norwegian farmed Atlantic salmon

Nina Strand, Kevin Alan Glover, Sonnich Meier, Fernando Ayllon, Vidar Wennevik, Abdullah Sami Madhun, Øystein Skaala, Kristin Hamre, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Eero Niemelä, Sofie Knutar, Per Tommy Andersen-Fjeldheim, Monica Favnebøe Solberg
ICES Journal of Marine Science 81 p. 119-129
2023

Genetic study reveals local differentiation persisting in the face of high connectivity and a genomic inversion likely linked with sexual antagonism in a common marine fish

Eeva Jansson, Carl André, Maria Quintela, Kim Aleksander Tallaksen Halvorsen, Francois Besnier, Fernando Ayllon, Ellika Faust, Halvor Knutsen, Åsa Strand, Kevin Alan Glover
ICES Journal of Marine Science 80 p. 1103-1112
2023

Aquaculture-driven evolution of the salmon louse mtDNA genome

Karoline Hasti Rutle, Rasmus Skern-Mauritzen, Frank Nilsen, Alejandro Mateos-Rivera, Anne Grete Eide Sørvik, Eeva Jansson, Maria Quintela, Francois Besnier, Fernando Ayllon, Helene Børretzen Fjørtoft, Kevin Alan Glover
Evolutionary Applications 16 p. 1328-1344
2023

Genetic study reveals local differentiation persisting in the face of high connectivity and a genomic inversion likely linked with sexual antagonism in a common marine fish

Eeva Jansson, Carl André, María Quintela, Kim Aleksander Tallaksen Halvorsen, Francois Besnier, Fernando Ayllon, Ellika Faust, Halvor Knutsen, Åsa Strand, Kevin Alan Glover
ICES Journal of Marine Science 80 p. 1103-1112
2023

Overruled by nature: A plastic response to environmental change disconnects a gene and its trait

Francois Besnier, Øystein Skaala, Vidar Wennevik, Fernando Ayllon, Kjell Rong Utne, Per Tommy Andersen-Fjeldheim, Kaja Christine Andersen-Fjeldheim, Sofie Knutar, Kevin Alan Glover
Molecular Ecology
2022

Introgression of domesticated salmon changes life history and phenology of a wild salmon population

Francois Besnier, Fernando Ayllon, Øystein Skaala, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Per Tommy Fjeldheim, Kaja Christine Andersen, Sofie Knutar, Kevin Alan Glover
Evolutionary Applications 15 p. 853-864
2020

Development of supermale and all-male Atlantic salmon to research the vgll3 allele - puberty link

Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Anna Wargelius, Fernando Ayllon, Kevin Alan Glover, Rüdiger W. Schulz, Thomas Fraser
BMC Genetics 21
2020

Autosomal sdY pseudogenes explain discordances between phenotypic sex and DNA marker for sex identification in Atlantic salmon

Fernando Ayllon, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Francois Besnier, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Brudvik Edvardsen, Kevin Glover
Frontiers in Genetics 11 p. 1-10
2020

Comparison of anadromous and landlocked Atlantic salmon genomes reveals signatures of parallel and relaxed selection across the Northern Hemisphere

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Rolf Brudvik Edvardsen, Fernando Ayllon, Petra Vogelsang, Tomasz Furmanek, Carl-Johan Rubin, Alexey E. Veselov, Tom Ole Nilsen, Stephen D. McCormick, Craig R. Primmer, Anna Wargelius
Evolutionary Applications p. 1-16
2020

Chromosome aberrations in pressure-induced triploid Atlantic salmon

Kevin Glover, Alison C. Harvey, Tom Johnny Hansen, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Francois Besnier, J.B. Bos, Fernando Ayllon, John B. Taggart, Monica Favnebøe Solberg
BMC Genetics 21 p. 59
2020

Epistatic regulation of growth in Atlantic salmon revealed: a QTL study performed on the domesticated-wild interface

Francois Besnier, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Alison C. Harvey, Gary R. Carvalho, Dorte Bekkevold, Martin I. Taylor, Simon Creer, Einar Eg Nielsen, Øystein Skaala, Fernando Ayllon, Geir Dahle, Kevin Glover
BMC Genetics 21
2019

Evolutionary drivers of kype size in atlantic salmon (salmo salar): domestication, age and genetics

William Perry, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Francois Besnier, Lise Dyrhovden, Ivar Helge Matre, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Fernando Ayllon, Simon Creer, Martin Llewellyn, Martin I. Taylor, Gary Carvalho, Kevin Glover
Royal Society Open Science 6
2019

The influence of vgll3 genotypes on sea age at maturity is altered in farmed mowi strain Atlantic salmon

Fernando Ayllon, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Kevin Glover, Faezeh Mohammadi, Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Eva Andersson, Tom Johnny Hansen, Rolf Edvardsen, Anna Wargelius
BMC Genetics 20:44 p. 1-8
2018

Investigating the frequency of triploid Atlantic salmon in wild Norwegian and Russian populations

Katarina Mariann Jørgensen, Vidar Wennevik, Anne Grete Eide Sørvik, Laila Unneland, Sergey Prusov, Fernando Ayllon, Kevin Glover
BMC Genetics 19:90 p. 1-9
2018

Vgll3 and the Hippo pathway are regulated in Sertoli cells upon entry and during puberty in Atlantic salmon testis

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Lene Kleppe, Elin Sørhus, Kai Ove Skaftnesmo, Tomasz Furmanek, Frida Thyri Segafredo, Anders Thorsen, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Geir Lasse Taranger, Eva Andersson, Rüdiger W. Schulz, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Edvardsen
Scientific Reports 8:1912 p. 1-11
2016

Atlantic salmon populations reveal adaptive divergence of immune related genes - A duplicated genome under selection

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Tomasz Furmanek, Vidar Wennevik, Geir Dahle, Eero Niemelä, Mikhail Ozerov, Juha-Pekka Vähä, Kevin Glover, Carl J. Rubin, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Edvardsen
BMC Genomics 17:610 p. 1-12
2015

The vgll3 Locus Controls Age at Maturity in Wild and Domesticated Atlantic Salmon(Salmo salar L.) Males

Fernando Ayllon, Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Tomasz Furmanek, Vidar Wennevik, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Geir Dahle, Geir Lasse Taranger, Kevin Glover, Markus Sällman Almén, Carl J. Rubin, Rolf Edvardsen, Anna Wargelius
PLoS Genetics 11:e1005628
2011

Impact of habitat fragmentation on the genetics of populations in dendritic landscapes

Horreo JL, Martinez JL, Ayllon F, Pola IG, Monteoliva JA, Heland M, Garcia-Vazquez E
Freshwater Biology 56 p. 2567-2579
2011

Impact of climate change and human-mediated introgression on southern European Atlantic salmon populations

Horreo JL, Machado-Schiaffino G, Ayllon F, Griffiths AM, Bright D, Stevens JR, Garcia-Vazquez E
Global Change Biology 17 p. 1778-1787
2011

Interspecific Hybridization, a Matter of Pioneering? Insights from Atlantic Salmon and Brown Trout.

Horreo JL, Ayllon F, Perez J, Beall E, Garcia-Vazquez E
Journal of Heredity 102 p. 237- 242
2010

Not all lineages are equally invasive: Genetic origin and life-history in salmonids acclimated to the Southern Hemisphere

America G Valiente, Fernando Ayllon, Pablo Nuñez, Francis Juanes, Eva Garcia-Vazquez
Biological Invasions 12 p. 3485-3495
2008

Interspecific hybridization and introgression are associated with stock transfers in salmonids

Castillo AGF, Ayllon F, Moran P, Izquierdo JI, Martinez JL, Beall E, Garcia-Vazquez E
Aquaculture 278 p. 31-36
2007

Introgression in the genus Salmo via allotriploids

Castillo AGF, Beall E, Moran P, Martinez JL, Ayllon F, Garcia-Vazquez E
Molecular Ecology 16 p. 1741-1748
2006

Rapid evolution of brown trout acclimated in virgin Subantarctic ecosystems

Ayllon, F.,Davaine, P., Beall, E., Garcia-Vazquez, E
Journal of Evolutionary Biology 19 p. 1352-1358
2006

Genetic history of the population of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., under restoration in the Connecticut River, USA

Ayllon, F., Juanes, F., Gephard, S., and Garcia-Vazquez, E
ICES Journal of Marine Sciences 63 p. 1269-1273
2006

Loss of regional population structure in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., following stocking

Ayllon, F., Martinez, J. L., Garcia-Vazquez, E
ICES Journal of Marine Sciences 63 p. 1286-1289
2006

Maintenance of a small anadromous subpopulation of brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) by straying

Ayllon, F, Moran, P, Garcia-Vazquez, E
Freshwater Biology 51 p. 351-358
2006

Stock transfers in Spanish Brown trout populations: A long-term assessment

Izquierdo JI, Castillo AGF, Ayllon F, De la Hoz J, Garcia-Vazquez E
Environmental Biology of Fishes 75 p. 153- 157
2004

Bottlenecks and genetic changes in Atlantic salmon stocks introduced in the Subantarctic Kerguelen Islands

Ayllon F, Davaine P, Beall E, Martinez JL, Garcia-Vazquez E.
Aquaculture 237 p. 103-116
2004

Asymmetry of post-F1 interspecific barriers in salmonids

Garcia-Vazquez E, Perez J, Ayllon F, Martinez JL, Glise S, Beall E
Aquaculture 234 p. 77-84
2004

Interspecific hybridization between Atlantic salmon and brown trout introduced in the Subantarctic Kerguelen Islands

Ayllon F, Martinez JL, Davaine P, Beall E, Garcia-Vazquez E
Aquaculture 230 p. 81-88
2003

Micronucleus Test in Freshwater Fish Species. An Evaluation of its Sensitivity for Application in Field Surveys

Rodriguez-Cea A, Ayllon F, Garcia-Vazquez E
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 56 p. 442-448
2003

Reproduction of interspecific hybrids of Atlantic salmon and brown trout in a stream environment

Garcia-Vazquez E, Ayllon F, Martinez JL, Perez J, Beall E
Freshwater Biology 48 p. 1100- 1104
2003

Assessing pollution in coastal ecosystems: a preliminary survey using the micronucleus test in the mussel Mytilus edulis

Izquierdo JI, Machado G, Ayllon F, d’Amico V, Bala LO, Vallarino E, Elias R, Garcia-Vazquez E.
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 55 p. 24-29
2001

Induction of micronuclei in eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) by heavy metals

Sanchez-Galan S., Linde A. R., Ayllon F., Garcia-Vazquez E
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 49 p. 139-143
2001

Micronuclei and other nuclear lesions as genotoxicity indicators in rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss

Ayllon F, Garcia-Vazquez E
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 49 p. 221-225
2000

Conventional armament wastes induce micronuclei in wild brown trout Salmo trutta

Ayllon F., Suciu R., Gephard S., Juanes F., Garcia-Vazquez E
Mutation Research 70 p. 169-176
2000

Induction of micronuclei and other nuclear abnormalities in European minnow Phoxinus phoxinus and mollie Poecilia latipinna: an assessment of the fish micronucleus test

Ayllon F., Garcia-Vazquez E
Mutation Research 467 p. 177-186
1998

Baby´s Formula Feeding Labeling Analysis: Macronutrient Ratio Study

Fernandez,S., González, C., Ayllón, F., Díaz, S., Ortiz, L., Patterson, A.M.
Nutrición Clínica (peer reviewed - Spanish) XVI/215 #6 p. 19-27

Other journal contributions

American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting (Peer reviewed congress contribution)

Changes in genetic diversity following enhancement of wild populations at the southern limit of Atlantic salmon distribution

Fernando Ayllon, Moran, Paloma, Juanes, Francis, Gephard, Steve, Martinez, Jose-Luis, Perez, Juliana, Garcia-Vazquez, Eva
American Fisheries Society Annual Meeting 133 p. 118

Scientific lectures

2019

Genomic regions under selection in landlocked Atlantic salmon

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Rolf Brudvik Edvardsen, Fernando Ayllon, Tomasz Furmanek, Carl Johan Rubin, Vidar Wennevik, Tom Ole Nilsen, Stephen McCormic, Craig Primmer, Anna Wargelius
2018

Hvordan fungerer laksens pubertetsgen?

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Lene Kleppe, Elin Sørhus, Kai Ove Skaftnesmo, Tomasz Furmanek, Frida Thyri Segafredo, Anders Thorsen, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Geir Lasse Taranger, Eva Andersson, Rüdiger W. Schulz, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Edvardsen
2016

Genome resequencing of geographically distinct Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar) populations reveals adaptive divergence

Rolf Edvardsen, Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Tomasz Furmanek, Vidar Wennevik, Geir Dahle, Eero Niemelä, Mikhail Ozerov, Juha-Pekka Vähä, Kevin Glover, Carl Johan Rubin, Anna Wargelius
2016

Adaptive plasticity in Atlantic salmon- genetic predisposition of time at maturity and environmental triggers

Rolf Edvardsen, Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Tomasz Furmanek, Tom Johnny Hansen, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Carl Johan Rubin, Lene Kleppe, Kai Ove Skaftnesmo, Elin Sørhus, Faezeh Mohammadi, Geir Dahle, Vidar Wennevik, Monica Favnebøe Solberg, Kevin Glover, Birgitta Norberg, Geir Lasse Taranger, Eva Andersson, Rüdiger W. Schulz, Anna Wargelius

Poster

2018

VGLL3 AND THE HIPPO PATHWAY ARE REGULATED IN SERTOLI CELLS UPON ENTRY AND DURING PUBERTY IN ATLANTIC SALMON TESTIS.

Erik Nordtorp Kjærner-Semb, Fernando Ayllon, Lene Kleppe, Elin Sørhus, Kai Ove Skaftnesmo, Tomasz Furmanek, Frida Thyri Segafredo, Anders Thorsen, Per Gunnar Fjelldal, Tom Johnny Hansen, Geir Lasse Taranger, Eva Andersson, Rüdiger W. Schulz, Anna Wargelius, Rolf Edvardsen
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