The impact of aquaculture on the genetics and distribution of the onuphid annelid Diopatra biscayensis

Evolutionary history of natural populations can be confounded by human intervention such as the case of decorator worm species Diopatra (Onuphidae) which have a history of being transported through anthropogenic activities. Because they build tubes and act as ecosystem engineers, they can have a large impact on the overall ecosystem in which they occur. One conspicuous member, Diopatra biscayensis, which was only described in 2012, has a fragmented distribution that includes the Bay of Biscay and the Normano-Breton Gulf in the English Channel. This study explores the origin of these worms in the Normano-Breton region, which has been debated to either be the result of a historic range contraction from a relic continuous population or a more recent introduction.