- E-mailtorbjorn.paulsen@uib.no
- Visitor AddressThormøhlensgate 55BBergen
- Postal AddressPostboks 78035020 Bergen
I am an evolutionary ecologist working with plant-animal interactions. In my research on the interactions between plants and their seed dispersers, I try to understand the stategies plants have evolved when useing animals for seed dispersal.
Paulsen, T. R., Stiller, S., Weber, K., Donath, C., Schreiband, G. and Jensen, K. H. 2018 A 90-day toxicity and genotoxicity study with high-purity phenylcapsaicin. Toxicology Research and Application Volum 2, 1-21.
Paulsen, T. R., Colville, L., Daws, M. I., Eliassen, S., Högstedt, G., Kranner, I., Thompson, K. and Vandvik, V. 2015 The crypsis hypothesis explained: a reply to Jayasuriya et al. (2015). Seed Science Research 25, 402-408.
Paulsen, T. R., G. Högstedt, K. Thompson, V. Vandvik and S. Eliassen. 2014. Conditions favouring hard seededness as a dispersal and predator escape strategy. Journal of Ecology 102: 1475–1484
Paulsen, T. R., L. Colville, I. Kranner, M. I. Daws, G. Högstedt, V. Vandvik, and K. Thompson. 2013. Physical dormancy in seeds: a game of hide and seek? New Phytologist 198:496-503. Highlighted in Science 8. March 2013, vol. 339, p. 1125.
Paulsen, T. R., O. Lindtjørn, N. R. Gjerdet, and G. Högstedt. 2006. Avian gut passage reduces seed exit costs in Sorbus aucuparia (Rosaceae) as measured by a diametral compression test. Functional Plant Biology 33:401-406.
Paulsen, T. R., and G. Högstedt. 2002. Passage through bird guts increases germination rate and seedling growth in Sorbus aucuparia. Functional Ecology 16:608-616.
- (2023). Safety assessment of the functional feed additive phenylcapsaicin in a commercial broiler diet. Toxicology Research and Application. 14 pages.
- (2018). A 90-day toxicity and genotoxicity study with high-purity phenylcapsaicin. Toxicology Research and Application. 1-21.
- (2015). The crypsis hypothesis explained: A reply to Jayasuriya et al. (2015). Seed Science Research. 402-408.
- (2014). Conditions favouring hard seededness as a dispersal and predator escape strategy. Journal of Ecology. 1475-1484.
- (2013). Physical dormancy in seeds: a game of hide and seek? New Phytologist. 496-503.
- (2006). Avian gut passage reduces seed exit costs in Sorbus aucuparia (Rosaceae) as measured by a diametral compression test. Functional Plant Biology. 401-406.
- (1999). Seeing is Believing: CuSeeMe-Inexpensive Video-conferencing. Språk og språkundervisning. 28-32.
- (1999). Internet Video-Conferencing. .
- (2017). “Har du hørt om zoologen, botanikeren, og modelløren som skulle forske på frø?” En tverrfaglig hyllest til Kungeemeritus Högstedt.
- (1998). Turdus spp. and Sorbus aucuparia seeds: Effect of ingestion on seed mass, germination and growth.
- (1998). Bird-berry interaction : more than just seed dispersal? ; a study on the effect of ingestion of rowan (<EM>Sorbus aucuparia</EM>) seeds by thrushes (<EM>Turdus spp.</EM>) on seed weight, seedling emergence and first season growth.
- (2006). Body size does not explain individual variation in grooming in Norwegian red deed (Cervus elaphus L.).
- (2005). Hvorfor er verden grønn? Hjorteviltet. 10-17.
- (2013). Do plants want to be eaten? Part one: No Part two: Yes.
More information in national current research information system (CRIStin)
Seeds cannot germinate without water since water activates the biochemical prosesses needed for germinatian and growth. It is therefor a conandrum that many plants, more than 2000 species, have seeds that are waterproof. How can this be? This conandrum is the basis for the SmellySeeds project.
We explore the idea that water-impermeable seed coats evolved to prevent the generation and release of the volatile compounds that rodents use to detect buried seeds. The crypsis hypothesis implies that the evolution of water-impermeable seeds involves the two steps of sealing (reduced seed predation) and re-opening the seed coat (reduced costs of increased generation time). This novel duality can explain why water-impermeable seeds have evolved repeatedly, as well as the diversity of locally adapted release mechanisms seen today.