Biofouling likely serves as a major mode of dispersal for the polychaete tubeworm Hydroides elegans as inferred from microsatellite loci.

The polychaete tubeworm Hydroides elegans (Haswell) is a biofouling species with relatively limited larval dispersal. Four highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were used to make inferences about the migration and global population structure of 137 individuals from seven sub-populations located in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. The results of the genetic analyses suggest minimal population sub-structure (F(st) = 0.09). Estimates of pairwise F(st) and migration rates using the coalescent-based method of MIGRATE suggest that there is little genetic differentiation between certain populations. Variation in relatedness among pairs of populations is consistent with a suite of local and global factors. The most likely explanation for close genetic relatedness among certain populations over such vast distances is the regular and consistent transport of adults and larvae on the hulls and in the ballast water of ships, respectively.