Plant communities found on special soils such as serpentine, dolomite, and sandstone are often distinctive (azonal) from the surrounding vegetation and contain high numbers of endemic species. Special soils are also often found in discrete patches, making them an ideal place to study spatial ecology questions. We study plant communities on serpentine soils in the Klamath-Siskiyou Mountains in southwestern Oregon and on dolomite and sandstone glades in the Ozarks.
Damschen Research Lab 