Longleaf pine savannas once occupied about 60% of the upland coastal plain from Virginia to Texas (60-70 million acres). The plant communities in longleaf pine savannas are one of the most species rich ecosystems in North America, often containing more than 30 species/m2. Today, less than 3% of the original extent of longleaf pine remains because of agriculture, development, and fire suppression.

With funding from the Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program and with collaborators John Orrock (Washington University), Lars Brudvig (Washington University), and Joan Walker (USDA Forest Service-Southern Research Station), we are determining how local ecological processes (dispersal limitation, competition, consumers) interact with landscape context to influence plant community diversity, composition, and restoration at three sites across the Southeastern United States. A critical part of this project is to determine how degradation history affects community assembly and recovery.