Ecologists have given these communities familiar names such as "marsh" - which describes a community on wet mineral soil with high nutrients.

A "bog" is a community on wet peat soil with low nutrients.

A "prairie" community is found on dry soil and is dominated by grasses.

A native plant community usually has dozens or even hundreds of different plant species, and an equally large number of animal species, including butterflies, birds, mammals, and even fishes (in the case of an aquatic plant community). A residential lawn is a plant community, but it is hardly a native plant community. It is created and maintained by humans using non-native species. It has few plant species (usually only one or two), offers very little wildlife or soil-holding benefits, and has high water and maintenance costs.

Implications for lakeshore owners:

Native plant communities serve as buffer zones, the key element in natural shoreline management. If you have native plant communities on your shoreline, protect and enjoy them. Residential lawns, riprap, or other "hard" structures severely disturb the natural shoreline environment and alter important ecological functions.