Effects of cutting on the dominant and subdominant plant species in a Stipa krylovii steppe of Inner Mongolia

Based on the long-term cutting experiment,this paper analyzed the responses of the aboveground biomass of five dominant and subdominant plant species and the community stability in a Stipa krylovii steppe of Inner Mongolia to various cutting height.Cutting with a stubble height of 10 cm had slight effects on the aboveground biomass of the five species.Cutting with a stubble height of 10 cm benefited the growth of Artemisia frigida but made against the growth of Stipa krylovii.Cleistogenes squarrosa at the stubble height of 2 cm performed best,and Carex korshinskyi at the stubble height of 5 cm contributed most to the community,with the biomass positively correlated with the cutting years.Potentilla acaulis growth was detrimentally affected at the stubble heights of 2 and 15 cm.Overall,perennial species with higher plant height and stronger competitive ability were more tolerant to disturbances,and a minimum cutting height of 10 cm should be applied to maintain a high stability of the steppe ecosystem.