Team DiSEEM - Dispersal, Speciation and Evolution of Marine Species
The DiSEEM team studies connectivity between populations of marine organisms at different spatial scales and its consequences on evolutionary processes: in particular, adaptation to environmental heterogeneity, the evolution of reproductive isolation between populations, and the long-term evolution of reproductive systems and thermotolerance in marine organisms.
Presentation
We work on various biological models from intertidal, coastal, and deep-sea environments (mainly invertebrate species) that are relevant to our research topics, and use a variety of complementary approaches:
- methods based on geochemical tracers and sclerochronology of larval shells to study the dispersal of bivalves and gastropods
- hydrodynamic modeling of larval dispersion to infer connectivity between populations
- population genetics and genomics to explore intraspecific diversity and the genetic basis of reproductive isolation between species
- ancestral reconstruction and biochemical analyses of proteins to study adaptation to extreme environments
- theoretical population genetics to study the evolutionary forces affecting the evolution of reproductive systems
Axis 1: Larval dispersal, connectivity, and population resilience
- Resilience of hydrothermal populations in the face of deep-sea mining: connectivity and adaptability of populations
- Dispersion of non-native species and contribution to coastal meroplankton dynamics
Axis 2: Adaptation to heterogeneous marine environments
- Adaptation of deep-sea hydrothermal species proteins to temperature and hydrostatic pressure
- Adaptation of species to urbanized marine ecosystems (ports), local adaptation of intertidal species along the shore
Axis 3: Speciation genomics
- Role of chromosomal rearrangements and sex chromosomes in reproductive isolation
- Evolution of sexual isolation
- Effect of recolonization dynamics on speciation processes
Projects: sexual isolation
Axis 4: Evolution of reproductive systems and genetic architecture
- Evolution of sex and life cycles
- Evolution of recombination landscapes
- Evolution of sex chromosomes and dosage compensation
Projects: evolution of sexual systems, recLandscapes
Contact(s)
- Thierry Comtet
- Denis Roze
Projects
Sexual isolation
Evolution of behavioural sexual isolation in marine isopods (Jaera albifrons complex)
Evolution of sexual systems
Evolution of sexual systems and sex determination in deep-sea gastropods (Alviniconcha sp.)
Population genetics of the ivory gull
Life-history of the ivory gull, an emblematic species of the High Arctic
People
Publications
Estimating the reduction in genetic diversity from background selection under non-equilibrium demography and partial selfing
Alexander Mackintosh, Maxence Brault, Denis Roze, Martin Lascoux, Sylvain Glémin. Estimating the reduction in genetic diversity from background selection under non-equilibrium demography and partial selfing. Molecular Biology and Evolution, In press, ⟨10.1093/molbev/msag004⟩. ⟨hal-05456156⟩
Next release of the European Marine Omics Biodiversity Observation Network (EMO BON) shotgun metagenomic data from water and sediment samples (Release 2)
Ioulia Santi, Christina Pavloudi, Maria Abagnale, Iñigo Azua, Zuriñe Baña, et al.. Next release of the European Marine Omics Biodiversity Observation Network (EMO BON) shotgun metagenomic data from water and sediment samples (Release 2). Biodiversity Data Journal, 2026, 14, pp.e178484. ⟨10.3897/BDJ.14.e178484⟩. ⟨hal-05480555⟩
Evidence for seawater Mg/Ca and dietary control on Mg incorporation in oyster shells
Marie Pesnin, Laurent Emmanuel, Amélie Guittet, Boris Eyheraguidel, Gaëtan Schires, et al.. Evidence for seawater Mg/Ca and dietary control on Mg incorporation in oyster shells. Chemical Geology, 2026, 707, pp.123305. ⟨10.1016/j.chemgeo.2026.123305⟩. ⟨hal-05536912⟩
High gene flow in Atlantic vent shrimp species with multiple ridge colonizations by ecotypic lineages with contrasting symbioses
Elodie Portanier, Pierre Methou, Claire Daguin-Thiébaut, Stéphanie Ruault, Anne-Sophie Le Port, et al.. High gene flow in Atlantic vent shrimp species with multiple ridge colonizations by ecotypic lineages with contrasting symbioses. BioRxiv, 2026, ⟨10.64898/2026.01.09.698622⟩. ⟨hal-05557915⟩
Histological and transcriptomic insights into gametogenesis in the flat oyster Ostrea edulis
Yanwen Lian, Anne-Sophie Le Port, Ann C Andersen, Ricardo Gonzalez-Araya, Corentin Robert, et al.. Histological and transcriptomic insights into gametogenesis in the flat oyster Ostrea edulis. Aquaculture, 2026, 619, pp., 743904. ⟨10.1016/j.aquaculture.2026.743904⟩. ⟨hal-05562521⟩
Sex chromosomes and chromosomal rearrangements contribute to behavioral sexual isolation in Jaera albifrons marine isopods
Ambre Ribardière, Claire Daguin-Thiébaut, Jérôme Coudret, Gildas Le Corguillé, Komlan Avia, et al.. Sex chromosomes and chromosomal rearrangements contribute to behavioral sexual isolation in Jaera albifrons marine isopods. Evolution - International Journal of Organic Evolution, 2026, 80 (6), pp.1278-1294. ⟨10.1093/evolut/qpag055⟩. ⟨hal-05647934⟩
News
Scientific publication
[PCI Evolbiol] Jaera albifrons: the re-emergence of a model system for speciation research in the genomic era
Published on November 20, 2025
Actualité grand public
Parution du livre "L'oiseau des glaces", une aventure scientifique et humaine sur les glaces du Groenland, à la rencontre de l’oiseau le plus septentrional du monde, la mouette ivoire.
Published on November 21, 2025