Dynamics of plant community characteristics of alpine steppe under enclosure around Qinghai Lake

A field experiment was conducted in alpine enclosure grassland in Qinghai Lake Region, and the community features were investigated for four consecutive years. The objectives of the experiment were to reveal the dynamics of plant community structure, function and diversity of alpine grassland under enclosure and provide the basic data for the scientific management and rational utilization of grassland. With the extension of enclosure period, the community coverage and aboveground biomass significantly increased (P0.05) firstly and then significantly decreased (P0.05) which had a peak at the second year. Diversity index and richness index decreased significantly (P0.05), and the evenness index increased followed with decreased. Comprehensive considering community composition, coverage, primary productivity and species diversity, grassland can be used appropriately (mowing and grazing) after enclosuring for two years.