ABSTRACT
Summary Leymus chinensis grasslands are distributed over the USSR, the People's Republic of Mongolia, and the People's Republic of China. This article presents three ecological characteristics of this grassland. The canopy is diagrammed, showing the structure of the grassland; the unassimilative:assimilative and underground:above-ground biomass ratios are given; and the life-form spectrum of the plants classified. The above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and its relationship with the quantity of rainfall has been calculated to indicate water-use efficiency of the L. chinensis grassland. The characteristics were found to be basically the same as those of the shortgrass prairie of North America. Seed production of L. chinensis grassland was also investigated, and the fructification ratio was found to be rather low. The distribution of buried seeds was examined, the results found being similar to those of the meadow steppe in the USSR. These results can form the theoretical basis for the management of this grassland.
