An ecological study of the serpentine barrens in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Vegetation and environmental analyses were conducted to determine the environmental factors controlling the plant distribution patterns on the serpentine barrens and adjacent non-serpentine areas in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Correlations between serpentine and schist plant community growth factors and plant distributions were studied. The general lack of necessary nutrients, water availability and slope appear to be the primary causes for the serpentine's variable vegetation patterns. In addition, competition appears to be a prime cause of serpentine restriction for certain species. The data obtained from the analyses of these plant communities indicate that the flora, succession patterns, and climax on serpentine are distinct from that on adjacent schist derived soils. Using Jaccard's community coefficient the mature forest communities on serpentine and schist were determined to be only 7.1% similar.