芽库作为植物营养繁殖的基础，是潜在植物群落，其对群落演替的驱动作用特别值得关注。芽库时空格局及芽库类型如何响应不同干扰方式和干扰强度不但是与植物适应和进化密切相关的重要理论问题，而且是与预测植被响应气候变化和人类干扰所发生的演变密切相关的重要实践问题。但是，迄今为止，与芽库特性、机制和生态功能相关的研究还非常有限。羊草草原是我国北方重要草地资源,约90%以上发生了不同程度的退化。羊草草原以营养繁殖为主，但在群落尺度开展的芽库对其群落演替的调控作用研究还鲜见报道。鉴于此，本项目拟以内蒙古锡林河流域羊草草原放牧演替群落系列为研究对象，通过比较不同放牧演替阶段芽库的时空格局、分析不同类型芽库对放牧强度的响应差异，探究放牧条件下不同植物芽库的种群增殖能力以及不同类型芽库的繁衍贡献，进而揭示芽库对草原放牧演替的调控机制，为羊草草原管理提供理论依据。

As the base of vegetative reproduction, bud bank is a potential plant community,playing a role in regulating community succession. How the spatiotemporal pattern and type of bud bank respond to disturbance type and intensity is not only an important theoretical question concerning the adaption and evolution of plants, but also an important practical problem regarding vegetation responses to climatic change and human disturbance. However, research with regard to characteristics, mechanisms and ecological functions of bud bank is very limited.Lymus chinese Steppe is an important steppe type of northern China, of which about 90% has degraded to some extent. Vegetative reproduction is the major reproductive form of Lymus chinese steppe, but how bud bank contributes to its community succession under grazing has not been fully understood .This program is to elucidate how bud bank is linked to the succession of Lymus chinese steppe under grazing around the Xilin River in Inner Mongolia.We would compare the spatial-temporal pattern of bud bank between different succession phases,and analyze differences in responses of different bud bank types to grazing intensity. Our purposes are to explore the relevance of bud banks in different species to enlargement and shrinkage of population, and to assess the reproductive contribution of different bud bank types. This programme is very useful for elucidating the mechanisms of bud bank in regulating community succession of steppe under grazing and very important for managing Lymus chinese steppe properly.