Barren vegetation

Barren vegetation describes an area of land where plant growth may be sparse, stunted, and/or contain limited biodiversity. Environmental conditions such as toxic or infertile soil, high winds, coastal salt-spray and climatic conditions are often key factors in poor plant growth and development. Barren vegetation can be categorized depending on the climate, geology and the geographic location of a specific area.Pine Barrens, coastal barrens and serpentine barrens are some of the more distinct ecoregions for barren vegetation and are the most commonly researched by scientists. Often referred to as “heathlands”, barrens can be excellent environments for unique biological diversity and taxonomic compositions.

Serpentine barren habitats include grasslands, chaparral, and woodlands as well as some areas that are very sparsely vegetated. Areas of sparse vegetation are often characterized by annual and perennial herbaceous plant species. The flora of the serpentines is recognized globally for its high level of biological diversity which includes over 1600 taxa of plants occurring in serpentine areas of the eastern U.S., with as many as 2000 taxa considered to be endemic to serpentine rich soils.

Serpentine barrens are distinct due to the serpentine-rich soil produced by the hydration weathering and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic igneous bedrock. Serpentine barrens are often characterized as high-stress environments with low water and nutrient availability. These areas are often depleted in basic nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. The soil is often shallow and can be toxic due to high heavy metal concentrations such as nickel, cobalt and chromium. As a result of the harsh conditions and unique edaphic properties presented by serpentine barrens these environments support stress-tolerant plant communities characterized by distinct and locally defined plant species.

The ecoregion known as the Pine Barrens are found to spread across much of the northeastern United States, primarily in the state of New Jersey. The Pine Barrens comprise 550,000 hectares of a heavily forested area of coastal plain and are home to at least 850 species of plant life, including many which are endangered or threatened.

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