List of contributors; Introduction Roger C. Anderson, James S. Fralish, and Jerry M. Baskin; Part I. Eastern/Southeastern Region: 1. Ecology and conservation of Florida scrub Eric S. Menges; 2. Southeastern pine savannas William J. Platt; 3. New Jersey pine plains: the 'true barrens' of the New Jersey pine barrens David J. Gibson, Robert A. Zampella and Andrew G. Windisch; 4. Vegetation, flora, and plant physiological ecology of serpentine barrens of eastern North America R. Wayne Tyndall and James C. Hull; 5. The mid-Appalachian shale barrens Suzanne H. Braunschweig, Eric T. Nilsen and Thomas F. Weiboldt; 6. Eastern granite outcrops Donald J. Shure; 7. High-elevation outcrops and barrens of the southern Appalachian mountains Susan K. Wiser and Peter S. White; Part II. Central/Midwest Region: 8. Dry soil oak savanna in the Great Lakes region Susan Will-Wolf and Forest Stearns; 9. Deep-soil savannas and barrens of the Midwestern United States Roger C. Anderson and Marlin L. Bowles; 10. Open woodland communities of southern Illinois, western Kentucky and middle Tennessee James S. Fralish, Scott B. Franklin and David D. Close; 11. The big barrens region of Kentucky and Tennessee Jerry M. Baskin, Carol C. Baskin and Edward W. Chester; 12. Cedar glades of southeastern United States Jerry M. Baskin and Carol C. Baskin; 13. Savanna, barrens and glade communities of the Ozark Plateaus Province Alice Long Heikens; 14. The cross timbers B. W. Hoagland, I. H. Butler, F. L. Johnson and S. Glenn; Part III. Western/Southwestern Region: 15. Ponderosa and limber pine woodlands Dennis H. Knight; 16. The sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii) communities of the Llano Estacado: history, structure, ecology and restoration Shivcharn S. Dhillion and Michelle H. Mills; 17. Oak savanna in the American Southwest Mitchel P. McClaran and Guy R. McPherson; 18. Juniper-Pinon savannas and woodlands of western North America Neil E. West; 19. Serpentine barrens of western North America A. R. Kruckeburg; 20. California oak savanna Barbara Allen-Diaz, James W. Bartolome and Mitchell P. McClaran; Part IV. Northern Region: 21. Jack pine barrens of the northern Great Lakes region Kurt S. Pregitzer and Sari C. Sanders; 22. The cliff ecosystem of the Niagara escarpment D. W. Larson, U. Mattes-Sears and P. E. Kelley; 23. Alvars of the Great Lakes region Paul M. Catling and Vivian R. Brownell; 24. The flora and ecology of southern Ontario granite barrens Paul M. Catling and Vivian R. Brownell; 25. The aspen parkland of Canada O. W. Archibold; 26. Subarctic lichen woodlands E. A. Johnson and K. Miyanishi; Index of plants; Index of animals; Topic index.