本研究以动物选择性采食为切入点，选择和设置具有不同异质性强度和植被空间格局的草地为试验背景，通过天然草地长期放牧试验和人工草地受控放牧实验，在不同空间尺度上，开展放牧对草地土壤和植被空间异质性的影响研究。通过对放牧家畜在不同尺度的选择性采食行为，以及对不同尺度草地空间异质性的作用效应分析，深入理解和认识放牧家畜选择性采食对草地空间异质性的作用机制；同时通过进行动物采食与植被空间格局间动态互作关系，以及植物空间格局与土壤营养空间异质性关系的研究，探讨动物采食调节下的草地异质性形成过程及其对草地生态过程及功能的作用。本项目从动物选择性采食行为的新视角试图获得放牧对草地空间异质性，及其生态过程影响的机制性认识，对于进一步深入理解放牧对生态系统稳定性、多样性和生态系统功能的影响，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。

The effects of herbivore grazing on spatial heterogeneity of grassland soil and vegetation will be studied from the perspective of herbivore selective foraging. These are conducted under the two kinds of experimental condition of natural grassland grazing and artifical grassland grazing.We select and set the grasslands with different heterogeneity strength and vegetation spatial patterns as the initial experimental backgrounds, and the heterogeneity change at different spatial scale are considered.By revealing the selectively foraging behaviour of grazing herbivore at different scales, and combining the changing outcomes of grassland spatial heterogeneity,we can obtain the deeply understanding and recognition for the effect mechanisms.By examining the dynamically interacting relationships between herbivore foraging and plant spatial pattern, and between spatial heterogeneity of soil nutrients and plant spatial pattern,we can deeply discuss the forming process of grassland heterogeneity and their rusulting in the change of grassland ecological functioning under herbivore foraging regulation. This study may have important implications theoretically and practically for further understanding effects of grazing on ecosystem stability,diversity and ecosystem function, and sustaining the stability of grassland ecosystems, effectively managing the grassland.