The Plant Community Indications For The Assessment Of Leymus Chinenesis Steppe Ecosystem Health

The experiment was carried out in Leymus chinenesis steppe in Keshiketeng Banner of Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, this site is located at the east of the Dalinuoer natural reserve area. The grassland degraded gradients were classified quantitatively according to the plant community characteristics, and the indications of assessment for range ecosystem health were analyzed in detail in order to provide the basic data for the new assessment system of ecosystem health and to realize the quantitative assessment of rangeland. The results were as follows: (1) The vegetation characteristics of each degraded gradient were discussed in detail based on the quantitative classification of degraded stages. The plant community characteristics, such as plant composition, net production, the amount of litter above ground, the vegetation coverage, forage standing crops each month in the middle grazing intensity became worse than the ungrazing plot due to the higher grazing pressure. (2) The status of vegetation did not exist notable difference in the light grazing intensity compared to that of non-grazing plot, which indicated that the intension of grazing disturbance in this area was in the scope of rangeland endurance, and the configuration and the function of rangeland were natural. (3) The results of primary attempts showed that the standing crops of Cleistogenes squarrosa and Patentilla acaulis, Leymus chinensis during the period of flourishing growth were the most sensitive indications in the aspect of plant community to the assessment of Leymus chinensis rangeland ecosystem health.