Camille Poitrimol, PhD
Département de Biologie
Université Laval, Canada
Contact: camille.poitrimol.1 [ a.t ] ulaval.ca
DSBS Participation Support Award – CBE7 2023 – Report
In 2023, thanks to the conference support award from the Deep-Sea Biology Society, I was able to raise the necessary funds to attend and give an oral presentation at the 7th International Symposium on Chemosynthesis-Based Ecosystems, hosted in São Paulo, Brazil (https://www.cbe7.com/). As I was in a transitional year between my PhD and a postdoctoral position, this experience was very helpful in keeping me motivated, active in my research, and connected to the deep-sea community.
During this conference, I had the chance to talk about my last thesis chapter, which represents the most significant aspect of my PhD work. It described the distribution of hydrothermal vent macrofaunal biodiversity in the Southwest Pacific at different spatial scales in relation to environmental conditions and geography. It focused specifically on three assemblages visually dominated by symbiotic megafauna: the gastropods Alviniconcha and Ifremeria, and the mussel beds of Bathymodiolus. I had very interesting questions and feedback after my presentation, which was very useful as I was writing the related paper, which I hope to be published in the coming months – stay tuned!
I also attended really interesting oral and poster presentations. Seeing how other researchers or students share their work is always very instructive and helps me figure out how to improve myself. I also learned a lot, particularly about the biology or ecology of deep-sea gastropods, as well as functional diversity in deep-sea ecosystems.
This conference was a great opportunity to reconnect with researchers and students I had previously met in various labs or at the 16th Deep-Sea Sea Biology Symposium in Brest, France, while also making new connections. By chance, I was in the same hotel as Ana Colaço, one of my thesis examiners! It was wonderful to see her again. Together, we explored several nice places in São Paulo, and she was great help since my Portuguese was quite limited!
Another highlight was learning more about the art & science section of the Deep-Sea Biology Society. Meeting talented researchers and artists was truly inspiring and engouraged me to share my own drawings – an ongoing project of mine. I believe that art is a powerful way of reaching a wider audience and increase curiosity about the oceans and their diverse ecosystems.
I am deeply grateful to the Deep-Sea Biology Society, and everyone involved in the grant process for this opportunity. I would also like to thank my PhD supervisors, Marjolaine Matabos and Eric Thiébaut, along with all the co-authors of the study I presented, the members of the ANR Cerberus project, members of the Chubacarc cruise, the captain and crew of RV L’Atalante, and the team from ROV Victor 6000, without whom this work would not have been possible.
Finally, many thanks to the organizing team of CBE7. I have excellent memories of this conference, and I hope to be able to participate in the next CBE8 in the Azores!
Camille received a Conference Support Award in 2023
