Comment on "Dispersal limitations matter for microbial morphospecies".
Telford et al. (Brevia, 19 May 2006, p. 1015) reported that freshwater diatoms exhibit regional-scale richness-pH relationships that depend substantially on regional habitat availability. On this basis, the authors argued that, despite their microscopic size, diatoms are not ubiquitously dispersed. Here, I describe my demonstration that their primary evidence against the ubiquitous dispersal hypothesis is spurious.
Pither
Jason
J
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Arizona, BSW 310, 1041 East Lowell Street, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. pitherj@email.arizona.edu
D044822:Biodiversity; D017377:Diatoms / Q000502:physiology*; D017753:Ecosystem; D004783:Environmental Microbiology; D005060:Europe; D005618:Fresh Water; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008954:Models, Biological; D009656:North America; D014871:Water Microbiology