Rarely is any location dominated by a single specie of plant. A plant community refers to the associated plant species that form the natural vegetation of any place. For instance, a midlatitude forest is comprised of a community of trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, and flowering herbs. Plant communities provide a habitat for animals and significantly modify the local environment. Plant communities affect soil type when organic material decomposes into the soil altering soil moisture retention, infiltration capacity, soil structure and soil chemistry. Trees shade the forest floor, reducing incident solar radiation and lowering temperatures of both the soil and the air. Reduced incident light decreases evaporation keeping soils moister beneath the forest canopy. These impacts affect animal habitats and the diversity of animal species which are associated with these plant communities.

An ecotone is a plant community in a distinct zone of transition between other more extensive communities. Ecotones vary in scale, from local (between forest and field) to global (savannas). Within an ecotone plants of different environmental tolerances often intermingle. For instance, grasses adapted to low moisture conditions intermingle with deciduous trees within a prairie - forest ecotone.

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