Didier JOLLIVET

The question ‘How deep-sea metazoan species disperse, adapt to extreme conditions and have colonized highly fragmented and possibly instable sulfide-rich and/or methane-rich environments’ has driven almost completely my research career from my PhD thesis at IFREMER supervised by Lucien Laubier and Daniel Desbruyères (IFREMER) to my senior CNRS researcher (DR2) position at the Station Biologique de Roscoff. During the course of this career, I already investigated this puzzling question under several research projects and the coordination/participation to several oceanographic cruises.

Theme 1: Population connectivity along ridge systems and between cold seeps

• Objectives

  Better understanding how populations of vent and cold seep species are exchanging despite fragmentation, tectonic re-arrangements and local instability and/or heterogeneity of their habitats. This is particularly crucial to assess the resilience of these deep-sea chemoautotrophic communities in the face of natural tectonic perturbations and the actual human will to mine the deep-sea. To assess population connectivity, we use both population genetics methods with various sets of markers (Cox1, microsatellites, SNPs) and larval dispersal modelling in order to propose their sustainable management and areas to be protected.

• Species under scrutiny

• Vent and seep mussels (Bathymodiolus spp.)
• Vent gastropods (Lepetodrilus spp. and Peltospira smaragdina)
• Pompeii worms (Alvinella pompejana, A. caudata)

• Related publications

Jollivet, D., Chevaldonné, P. & Planque, B. 1999. Hydrothermal-vent alvinellid polychaete dispersal in the eastern Pacific. 2. A metapopulation model based on habitat shifts. Evolution, 53, (4), 1128-1142.

Plouviez, S., Shank, T.M., Faure, B., Daguin-Thiébaut, C., Viard, F., Lallier, F.H. & Jollivet, D. 2009. Comparative phylogeography among hydrothermal vent species along the East Pacific Rise reveals vicariant processes and population expansion in the south. Molecular Ecology, 18 (18), 3903-3917.

Portanier, E., Nicolle A., Rath, W., Kirch, F., Monnet L., Le Goff G., Le Port A.-S., Daguin-Thiébaut, C., Morrison C., Cunha, M., Betters, M., Young C.M., Van Dover C.L., Biastoch, A., Thiébaut E. & Jollivet D. 2022. Coupling large-spatial scale larval dispersal modelling with barcoding to refine the amphi-Atlantic connectivity hypothesis in deep-sea seep mussels. Frontiers in Marine Science, V2, 10, 1122124.

Tran Lu Y A., Ruault S., Daguin-Thiébaut C., Le Port A.-S., Ballenghien M., Castel J., Gagnaire P.-A., Bierne N., Arnaud-Haond S., Poitrimol C., Thiébaut, E., Lallier, F.H., Broquet T., Jollivet D., Bonhomme F.& Hourdez S. 2025. Comparative population genomics unveils congruent secondary suture zone in southwest Pacific hydrothermal vents. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 42, 1-16.

• Recent funding on this topic

PPR LifeDeeper (2023-2027) (coord. M.A. Cambon-Bonavita, IFREMER), link: https://lifedeeper.ifremer.fr

RIA H2020 iAtlantic (2019-2024) (coord. M. Roberts, Univ. Edimburgh), link: https://www.iatlantic.eu

ANR Cerberus (2018-2023) (coord. S. Hourdez, LECOB), link: https://www.cap-recherche.fr/exploitation-miniere-des-grands-fonds-la-science-alerte-sur-la-grande-sensibilite-de-la-faune-au-large-de-la-papouasie-nouvelle-guinee/

Theme 2: Local adaptation to the vent conditions

• Objectives

Deep-sea hydrothermal environment is highly variable and heterogeneous, even at small spatial scales, and thus represent an ideal setting for studying local adaptation, either by maintaining certain polymorphisms within species, giving an advantage to heterozygotes or the juxtaposition of advantageous genotypes in a dynamic two-niche system, or by promoting the selective sweep of a more plastic phenotype in response to environmental variations. In this respect, the Pompeii worm, which lives in the hottest part of the vent habitat, is an interesting model that we have studied in particular from the point of view of its enzymatic polymorphism.

• Species under scrutiny

• Alvinella pompejana
• Bathymodiolus azoricus

• Related publications

Piccino, P., Viard, F., Sarradin, P.M., Le Bris, N., Le Guen, D. & Jollivet, D. 2004. Thermal selection of PGM allozymes in newly founded populations of the thermotolerant vent polychaete Alvinella pompejana. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, serie B, 271, 2351-2359.

Boutet I., A. Tanguy, D. Le Guen, P. Piccino, S. Hourdez, J. Ravaux, B. Shillito, P. Legendre, Jollivet D. 2009. Global depression in gene expression as a response to rapid thermal changes in vent mussel. Proc. R. Soc. London B, 276, 3071-3079.

Papot, C., Massol, F., Jollivet, D., Tasiemski, A. 2017. Antagonistic evolution of an antibiotic and its molecular chaperone: how to maintain a vital ectosymbiosis in a highly fluctuating habitat. Scientific Reports, 7, 1454.

Bioy A., Le Port A.S, Verheye, M., Piccino, P., Faure, B., Hourdez, S., Mary J., Jollivet D. 2022. Balanced polymorphism at the Pgm-1 locus of the Pompeii worm Alvinella pompejana and its variant adaptability is only governed by two QE mutations at linked sites. Genes, 13, 206.

• Recent funding on this topic

ANR ALVINELLA (ANR-05-BLAN-0407: 2006-2008, coord. D. Jollivet) and ANR BALIST () - ANR-08-BLAN-0252: 2009-2012, coord. B. Shillito, SU), and Project AdaptAnn (2012-2015) funded by Fondation Total (coord. S. Hourdez, SBR).

Theme 3: Deep evolution of proteins towards thermal and sulfide adaptation

• Objectives

How have hydrothermal-vent species been able to adapt to extreme conditions of temperature, hypoxia, and H₂S concentrations throughout their evolutionary history? During my research, I focused on the evolution of respiratory pigments (hemoglobins) and the evolution of proteomes in relation to temperature, focusing more specifically on Alvinellidae polychaetes, which include species that have colonized almost all hydrothermal thermal environments. These approaches were based on RNAseq data to characterize mutational biases between orthologous proteins and their accumulation rates in cold and hot lineages, and through the reconstruction of ancestral proteins.

• Species under scrutiny

• Alvinellid worms
• Siboglinid worms

• Related publications

Jollivet, D., Desbruyères, D., Ladrat, C. & Laubier, L. 1995. Evidence for differences in allozyme thermostability in deep-sea hydrothermal vent polychaetes Alvinellidae: a possible selection by habitat. Marine Ecology Progress Series,123, 125-136. 

Bailly, X., R., Leroy, S., Carney, O., Collin, F., Zal, A. Toulmond & D. Jollivet. 2003. The loss of the hemoglobin H₂S-binding function reveals molecular adaptation driven by Darwinian positive selection in annelids from sulfide-free habitats. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of USA, 100, (10), 5885-5890.

Jollivet, D., Gagnière, N., Mary, J., Tanguy, A, Fontanillas, E., Boutet, I., Hourdez, S., Segurens, B., Weissenbach, J., Poch, O., Lecompte, O. (2012) Proteome adaptation to high temperatures in the ectothermic hydrothermal vent pompeii worm. PloS One, 7(2), e31150.

Fontanillas, E., Galzitskaya, O.V., Lecompte O., Lobanov, M.Y., Tanguy A., Mary, J., Girguis P.R., Hourdez S., Jollivet D. 2017. Proteome evolution of deep-sea hydrothermal vent alvinellid polychaetes supports the ancestry of thermophily and subsequent adaptation to the cold for some lineages. Genome Biology and Evolution, 9(2), 279-296.

• Recent funding on this topic

SU EMERGENCE project Evoltherm (2019-2023) (coord. J. Mary, SBR), Alvinella genome project project in ‘Ecosystems in Extreme & Changing Environments’ of Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) (2018-2022) (coord. A. Claridge-Chang & R.R. Copley), ANR SPHEERE pre-project 2025 (coord. C. Brochier-Armanet, Lyon Univ). 

Theme 4: Speciation processes and plate tectonism

• Objectives

In hydrothermal environments, speciation processes are partly influenced by the numerous tectonic re-arrangements that shape the history of ocean ridges, with the appearance of microplates or transform faults contributing to the allopatric isolation of populations of the same species, but also allowing for secondary contact between them. In this context, my research aims to better understand the role of sexual isolation and local adaptation in the establishment of genomic barriers to gene flow (islands of divergence) between closely related species.

• Species under scrutiny

• Alvinella pompejana
• Bathymodiolus azoricus/B. puteoserpentis
• Alviniconcha gastropods

• Related publications

Faure B., D. Jollivet, A. Tanguy, F. Bonhomme & N. Bierne 2009. Speciation in the deep sea: Multi-locus analysis of divergence and gene flow between two hybridizing species of hydrothermal vent mussels. PlosOne, 4(8): e6485. 

Matabos, M. & Jollivet, D. 2019. Revisiting the species’ complex of Lepetodriluselevatus (Vetigastropod, Lepetodrilidae) using gastropod samples from the Galápagos and Guaymas hydrothermal vent systems. J. Molluscan studies, 85 (1), 154-165.

Thomas–Bulle, C., Bertrand, D., Nagarajan, N., Copley, R., Hourdez, S., Corre, E., Bonnivard, E., Claridge-Chang, A., Jollivet, D. 2022. Genomic patterns of divergence in the early and late steps of speciation of the deep-sea thermophilic worms of the genus Alvinella. BMC Ecol. Evol. 22:106.

Castel J., Hourdez S., Pradillon F., Daguin-Thiébaut C., Ballenghien M., Ruault S., Corre E., Tran Lu Y A., Mary J., Comtet T., Gagnaire P.-A., Bonhomme F., Bierne N., Breusing C., Broquet T., Jollivet D. 2022. Inter-specific genetic exchanges despite strong divergence in deep-sea hydrothermal vent gastropods of the genus Alviniconcha. Genes, special issue: Feature Papers in Population and Evolutionary Genetics and Genomics.13, 985.

• Recent funding on this topic

PPR LifeDeeper (2023-2027) (coord. M.A. Cambon-Bonavita, IFREMER), link: https://lifedeeper.ifremer.fr

RIA H2020 iAtlantic (2019-2024) (coord. M. Roberts, Univ. Edimburgh), link: https://www.iatlantic.eu

ANR Cerberus (2018-2023) (coord. S. Hourdez, LECOB), link: https://www.cap-recherche.fr/exploitation-miniere-des-grands-fonds-la-science-alerte-sur-la-grande-sensibilite-de-la-faune-au-large-de-la-papouasie-nouvelle-guinee/ The Aquatic Symbiosis Genomic Project (2023-2027) (Genome sequencing at Sanger with the Moore Foundation (coord. R. Beinart).

PhD students

• Current position.

• Yuna Creac’h (2025-2027) – Vent metapopulation connectivity in the Western Pacific 

• Past position.

• Xavier Bailly (1999-2001) – Evolution of extracellular hemoglobins in vent annelids
• Patrice Piccino (2001-2004) – Adaptive polymorphism in the Alvinella PGM1 enzyme
• Marc Taimour Jolly (2001-2004) – Phylogeography of soft-sediment coastal tubeworms
• Delphine Muths (2004-2006) – Phylogeography of soft-sediment coastal ophiuroids
• Baptiste Faure (2005-2008) – Speciation processes in hydrothermal vent mussels
• Sophie Plouviez (2007-2009) – Phylogeography of vent species along the East Pacific Rise
• Claire Papot (2014-2016) – Genetic diversity of anti-microbial peptides in annelids
• Alexis Bioy (2016-2018) – Annelid genetic diversity and environmental instability
• Camille Thomas-Bulle (2017-2019) – Genome architecture of differentiation in vent species
• Jade Castel (2019-2022) – Speciation processes in Alviniconcha vent gastropods
• Pierre-Guillaume Brun (2021-2024) – Thermal adaptation of Alvinellidae

Postdocs

• Current position.

• Coral Diaz-Recio Lorenzo 

  – 2024-2025: genomic scans of genetic differentiation of Atlantic vent molluscs

– 2025-2027: genomic characterization of holobiomes in hydrothermal vent copepods

• Past position.

• Isabelle Boutet (2007-2008) - Atlantic vent mussel adaptation to temperature
• Eric Fontanillas (2010-2012) - Alvinellid protein evolution in the face of temperature
• Mathieu Bruneaux (2011-2013) - Adaptive polymorphisms in Alvinellidae
• Marieke Feis (2019-2021) – Percebes BioDiversa project
• Elodie Portanier (2021-2023) -  iAtlantic H2020 European project

Organisation or participation to oceanographic cruises

• As chief scientist

• BIOSPEEDO cruise (2004) Southern East Pacific Rise. N/O L’Atalante with Nautile: 2 months – 1 dive. 

• CHUBACARC cruise (2019) Western Pacific back-arc basins, N/O L’Atalante  ROV Victor6000: 70 days.

• As participant

• STARMER cruise (1988) North Fiji basin, western Pacific. Japanese cruise, R/V KAIYO: 2 months.
• BIOLAU cruise (1989) Lau basin, western Pacific.  N/O Le Nadir with Nautile:  1 month - 1 dive.
• HOT96 cruise (1996) East Pacific Rise (13°N-9°50N). N/O Le Nadir with Nautile: 1 month - 1 dive.
• MARVEL cruise (1997) Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Azores). N/O L’Atalante with Nautile: 20d - 1 dive.
• HOPE99 cruise (1999) East Pacific Rise (13°N-9°50N). N/O L’Atalante with Nautile: 20 days - 1 dive.
• ATOS cruise (2001) Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Azores). N/O L’Atalante with ROV Victor 6000: 1 month.
• PHARE cruise (2002) East Pacific Rise (13°N-9°50N). N/O L’Atalante with ROV Victor 6000: 22 days.
• MOMARETO cruise (2006) Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Azores). N/O Pourquoi-Pas?  ROV Victor6000: 24 days
• MESCAL1 cruise (2009) East Pacific Rise (13°N-9°50N). N/O L’Atalante with Nautile: 30 days – 1 dive.
• MESCAL2 (2012) – East Pacific Rise (9°50N). N/O L’Atalante with Nautile: 15 days – 1 dive.
• US BARBADOS cruise (2012) – Barbados accretionary prism. R.V Atlantis with ROV Jason: 15 days.
• TRANSECT cruise (2018) Mid-Atlantic Ridge (29-30°N). N/O L’Atalante with ROV Victor6000: 1 month.
• BICOSE3 cruise (2023). Mid-Atlantic Ridge (TAG/Snake Pit), N/O Pourquoi-Pas? With Nautile: 45 days.
• KAIMEI 12-25 cruise (2025). Marianas back arc, Japanese cruise, R/V Kaimei with ROV, 15 days.
• Summer campaigns in TERRE ADELIE (Antarctique) (2011 and 2014). On N/O L’Astrolabe and at DDU: 2 months each: thermal in vivo experiments on krill and polychaetes.