河流河滨带是陆地与河流水体系统之间的界面或生态过渡带，是河流景观的组成部分并具有重要的生态功能。然而，由于过度利用，草原区河流河滨带湿地生态系统大多处于较严重的退化状态，亟待恢复或重建。然而，由于湿地生态系统的特殊性与复杂性，其退化与恢复演替过程及其机理尚不明确。因此，本项目基于课题组对内蒙古高原和大兴安岭山地河流河滨带湿地植物多样性调查、湿地植物群落分布格局测定以及河滨带围封未退化湿地定位监测等前期工作，以内蒙古草原区典型的河流河滨带湿地生态系统为例，通过模拟放牧实验和放牧控制实验，系统阐释河流河滨带湿地生态系统退化与恢复演替过程中：1）群落生物多样性与生产力动态及形成机制；2）群落种间关系特征及其形成机制；3）土壤水分与养分资源动态与形成机制；4）群落空间异质性动态与形成机制，进而揭示其演替动力与机理。本项研究将充实恢复演替理论，亦可为草原区受损湿地生态系统的恢复与重建提供理论依据。

Riparian zone is the interface or ecological ecotone between river system and adjacent terrace terrestrial ecosystems, which is the important part of the riverscape. Now riparian wetland has been included in the national ecological protected region because of its important ecosystem functions and huge value. However, due to human disturbance and utilization, most of the riparian wetlands have been degraded. In Inner Mongolia steppe regions, the riparian wetland (river floodplain wet meadow) is the most productive and highest biodiversity sites compared with adjacent terrace steppe, but due to excessive grazing, the vast majority also becomes degraded meadow. The ecological procession and mechanism for restoration succession of riparian wetland has not been clear because of its particularity and complexity. . Focusing on the reality that the riparian wetlands in Inner Mongolia steppe regions has been severely degraded and need more attention to the ecological rehabilitation and reconstruction, this project takes the typical riparian wetlands of Xilin River in the steppe region of Inner Mongolia where the livestock-husbandry economy is dominated as the study area. Based on the former works on the investigation of wetland biodiversity, spatial pattern of wetland communities, in situ monitoring for the fenced undegraded wetlands and the understanding and the knowledge from the studies on the restoration and succession mechanism of the adjacent typical steppe ecosystems by our research group, this project will take the formation of the spatial heterogeneity during the succession of the degraded riparian wetlands as breakthrough points, by simulated and controlled experiments of grazing, identify the changes, the ways and the leading factors of the different successional stages during the restoration succession. The main research contents focus on: the dynamics characteristics and formation mechanisms of biodiversity and productivity, interspecific relationships, content of water and nutrients in soil, and spatial heteregeneity among plant communities.. Based on the researches above, this project should reveal the mechanisms of degradation and restoration succession of the riparian wetland ecosystem in Inner Mongolia steppe regions. The results from this project will broaden and enrich the research content and field of riverscape and wetland ecology. This project will also provide the theoretical basis for the rational development, protection and management of riparian wetland, and the theoretical reference for rehabilitation, reconstruction and wetland ecosystem health (or ecological integrity) assessment of the degraded riparian wetland ecosystems in the steppe region of Northern China.