本研究拟在位于欧亚大陆草原带的我国北方五个代表性草地类型，同步开展草地土壤资源异质性与植物多样性的相关关系，以及放牧对不同草地类型的土壤空间异质性、植物多样性、及其二者间关系的影响研究。通过分析土壤资源的多个变量（氮、磷、水分）在不同空间尺度的异质性特征，以及异质性的多个特征变量（组成异质性，结构异质性）与植物多样性的相关关系，全面揭示不同草地类型土壤资源异质性对植物多样性的作用规律；同时通过放牧家畜对不同尺度草地空间异质性和植物多样性的作用效应分析，深入理解和认识放牧家畜对草地异质性-多样性关系的调控机制。本项目对于进一步全面理解草地放牧生态系统的多样性维持机制，保护草地生物多样性以及实现草地生态系统的持续发展与科学管理具有重要的理论价值和实际指导意义。

This study aims to examine the relationship between soil resource heterogeneity and plant diversity, and effects of livestock grazing on soil heterogeneity, plant diversity and their correlations, which were conducted across five primary grassland types in northern China. This study will comprehensively discover the effect of soil resource heterogeneity in maintaining grassland plant diveristy, by examining heterogeneity characteritics of multiple soil variables including soil N, P、water andpH at different spatial scale, and analying the correlations of compositional heterogentiy and structural heterogeneity with plant diversity respectively.Furthermore we will deeply understand the regulating mechanism of herbivore grazing on heterogeneity-diversity relationship, by studying effects of grazing on soil heterogeneity and plant diversity at different spatial scale. This study may have important implications theoretically and practically for further understanding maintenance of plant divesity for grassland grazing ecosystem, and protecting grassland biodiversity and achieving sustainable development of grassland ecosystems, effectively managing the grassland.