Dispersal limitation is stronger in communities of microorganisms than macroorganisms across Central European cities

Abstract

We hypothesize that the community of subaerial cyanobacteria/algae is structured by natural processes which involve dispersal limitation, whereas communities of urban plants and snails are influenced by human-assisted dispersal of their propagules between cities, which results in weaker dispersal limitation. Our study indicates that dispersal vectors can be more important for community structure than size of organisms or of their propagules.

Keywords

• algae
• body size
• community structure