“…In spite of the obvious theoretical importance of dispersal as a potential determinant of range size (especially for organisms living in highly spatially clustered habitats), supporting empirical evidence has so far been surprisingly limited in both terrestrial (Dennis, Donato, Sparks, & Pollard, ; Edwards & Westoby, ; Gaston & Blackburn, ; Gutierrez & Menendez, ; Juliano, ; Kavanaugh, ; Malmqvist, ; McCauley, Davis, Werner, & Robeson, ) and marine organisms (Bonhomme & Planes, ; Brothers & Thresher, ; Hansen, ; Jablonski & Lutz, ; Jones, Caley, & Munday, ; Lester & Ruttenberg, ; Lester et al, ; Luiz et al, ; Mora et al, ; Mora, Chittaro, Sale, Kritzer, & Ludsin, ; Nanninga & Manica, ; Ruttenberg & Lester, ; Thresher & Brothers, ; Thresher, Colin, & Bell, ; Victor & Wellington, ; Wellington & Victor, ; Zapata & Herrón, ). Our study illustrates several reasons why it is difficult to find a definite answer to the question of whether or not dispersal is an important determinant of species range sizes.…”