Multiscale response of plant diversity in grassland ecosystem to anthropogenic disturbances

Anthropogenic disturbances are one of the important factors which cause the variations of plant diversity in grassland ecosystems. Plant diversity depends on the ecosystem structures and processes taking place over a range of spatialtemporal scale. The significant dominant effect of plant diversity can only be expressed in particular spatialtemporal scale. The scale features of plant diversity and the largescale effect of anthropogenic disturbances determine the complexity and arduousness of plant diversity conservation in grassland ecosystem. This paper discussed the response patterns, processes and ecological consequences of plant diversity to various anthropogenic disturbances at different spatialtemporal scales, confirmed the important role of scale issues in the research of plant diversity, and probed into the causes of plant diversity changes and its related response mechanism under anthropogenic disturbances in grassland ecosystem, as well as their implications in the conservation and rational utilization of plant diversity, and grassland ecosystem sustainable development.